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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28392030">The Seas, The Land, And Magic</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/tinninoia/pseuds/tinninoia'>tinninoia</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Haikyuu!!</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Pirate, Anxiety, Crushes, Enemies to Lovers, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Insecurity, M/M, Mage Akaashi Keiji, Magic, Minor Character Death, POV Multiple, Pirate Iwaizumi Hajime, Pirate Sawamura Daichi, Pirates, Prophecy, Relationship(s), Rivalry, Siren Kozume Kenma, Siren Oikawa Tooru, Siren Shimizu Kiyoko, Siren Sugawara Koushi, Siren Yamaguchi Tadashi, Sirens, Spells &amp; Enchantments, and his crew - Freeform, but its okay, seems like a bunch of oneshots but they all connect I swear</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 03:13:31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>21,590</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28392030</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/tinninoia/pseuds/tinninoia</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The Seas:<br/>As the newly appointed captain of The Karasuno, Daichi must learn how to control his rowdy crew as they continue their fruitless search for Atlantean gold. However, when he meets Suga, a mysterious stranger that seemed to have popped out of the ocean, his luck begins to change.</p><p>The Land:<br/>Dark magic is spreading across the kingdom and, after his mother's death, Hinata Shoyo must find a way to protect and provide for his sister. His solution: entrust Bokuto with Natsu as he works on the high seas for wages (and tries not to fall overboard in the process).</p><p>And Magic:<br/>Akaashi thought he lived a pretty normal life for a mage. But if you account for the prophecy, the vengeful group of snakes, and an excitable owl obsessed man, it turns out his life is far from normal.<br/>------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br/>ALT: sirens, pirates, and mages. What more could you want from a fantasy AU?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, Daishou Suguru/Yamaka Mika, Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio, Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru, Kozume Kenma/Kuroo Tetsurou, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Sawamura Daichi/Sugawara Koushi, Tsukishima Kei/Yamaguchi Tadashi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>68</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Sawamura Daichi</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>How Captain Sawamura Daichi met Suga</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>This was all Captain Ukai’s fault.</p><p><em>Ex-Captain Ukai</em>. He had to correct himself, finishing off his third beer of the night. The tavern was rowdy, clicks of glasses and loud cheers bounced off the walls. It was expected, especially since Noya and Tanaka had decided to wage a drinking war in the middle of their celebration. Both were now shrieking incomprehensibly at the top of their voices and sloshing their drinks down their fronts. </p><p>Ennoshita, who sat nearest them, shook his head disapprovingly, shooting a glance at Daichi before turning back to stare at his half-full mug of mead. On normal occasions, he would be yelling at the two troublemakers to sit down and shut up, but this was no normal occasion. Their captain, withering with old age, had stepped away from his position to teach young kids how to swordfight, leaving his title to Daichi. </p><p>Of course, none of the crew seemed to have a problem with it. Hell, everyone practically cheered when Ukai announced his retirement. He’d always pushed them over their limits, searching for his precious Atlantean gold. </p><p>Daichi snorted; he’d been searching for that blasted gold since the day Daichi joined. He remembered overhearing Captain Ukai talk about it on his first day as a cabin boy and how they’d never come close to finding it. </p><p>Ukai had always cursed the creatures of the sea, blaming them for hiding the treasure from him. At first, it was the Kraken (which didn’t make any sense in Daichi’s mind), then it was kappas, and these last couple of decades, Ukai had a fierce grudge against sirens.“They’re always singing, distracting me from my gold,”he’d said, shaking his fist at the water, then turning to Daichi. “You better keep your eyes open and your ears shut, boy. Because as soon as they know what makes you tick, they’ll use it against you.”</p><p>	“Daichi!” He was pulled from his thoughts by a tall figure holding two beer bottles (Daichi had always preferred beer. Mead had always been too sweet, and rum was too strong for tonight). Asahi handed him a bottle and sat next to him, careful to avoid the drunk mess that was Noya, who had begun singing offkey. “Congratulations!”</p><p>	“Thanks, Asahi.” He looked at his bottle. Four drinks would be too much; he sipped at it cautiously.</p><p>	“Any ideas on who you’re going to appoint as your first mate?”</p><p>	“Are you suggesting I pick you?” Daichi teased, noting how Asahi blanched suddenly and started muttering something about people needing him in the med bay. He laughed and clapped a hand on his friend’s back, “Don’t worry so much. I just got the position today, so I guess I’ll need some time to think about it.”</p><p>	“And some time to pick some new recruits,” Ennoshita added, pulling at Tanaka’s shirt so that he’d get off the table. “We can’t sail with only five crew members.”</p><p>	“I can’t believe Kinoshita and Narita left too.” Asahi sighed. “First Akiteru, then Ukai, and now--”</p><p>	“It was inevitable.” Ennoshita looked glumly at the table. “It was never their dream to be pirates. They just needed enough money to start their shop.” Daichi felt a twinge of guilt. The three of them had been very close, and now Ennoshita was on his own. They’d offered him a spot in their shop, but Ennoshita had declined, deciding to stay sailing alongside Daichi and the rest. It was almost noble of him. </p><p>	“We’ll visit them once they’ve got everything set up,” Daichi announced, and Asahi nodded resolutely. </p><p>A flicker of light passed behind Ennoshita’s sad eyes, and he seemed to straighten up at Daichi’s words. “I’ll hold you to your promise, Captain.”</p><p>Daichi stiffened at the title but went on, “As if I was going to break it. I care as much about them as you do.” </p><p>Noya and Tanaka finally plopped down at the table, eyes bright.</p><p>	“So, what about new recruits?” Tanaka said. “Are we getting some right now?”</p><p>“Wait! Does this mean we FINALLY get to go people hunting?” Noya exclaimed, rocking his chair back and forth in excitement.</p><p>“Don’t say it like that!” Ennoshita reached over Tanaka to wack Noya on the shoulder. “People will think we’re savages or something.”</p><p>Asahi nodded seriously. “We’re respectable pirates.”</p><p>Noya and Tanaka cackled. “Respectable pirates?” Noya wheezed. “Where the hell have you been all these years?”</p><p>	Daichi chuckled at the look on Asahi’s face then decided not to torture him for too long. “We’ll deal with recruits tomorrow.” </p><p>	“Yes, because tonight--” Tanaka hooked his arm around Daichi’s shoulders and raised his mead, “we celebrate our new captain!”</p><p>	The rest of the crew raised their drinks in unison and yelled, “To Daichi!”</p><p>Daichi flushed and followed them in downing the rest of their drinks.<em> Captain…</em> he was going to captain his own ship, for The Karasuno was now his. The lives of his crew were also now in his hands. Every move he made from tomorrow on would tell whether or not they lived or died. And it scared him. </p><p>How was he supposed to convince townsfolk to give up their morally righteous lives to join them in plundering villages and searching for lost gold? How was he supposed to take care of his crew when he could barely even control Noya and Tanaka half the time? Maybe it was the amount of alcohol he had to drink or the noise from the tavern or both, but he found that he was excusing himself to get some fresh air, saying he’d meet the others back on the ship.</p><p>	<em>Captain…</em> that was what Ennoshita had called him even though it had been less than 12 hours since Ukai had bid them farewell. His heavy brown boots clapped loudly against the pavement as he made his way towards the docks. He noticed he was still carrying one of his empty beer bottles and gripped it tightly as if it were the only thing at the moment that tethered him to the Earth. He let himself get lost in the thoughts that had been plaguing him all day. <em>Why me?</em> It didn’t seem fair that he should have received the title. </p><p>Akiteru should have. He had sailed under Ukai the longest and had been one of the most dutiful sailors that Daichi had ever met. What he lacked in skill, he made up for in encouragement, always looking to help and support others when they needed it. He would have made an outstanding captain had he not left. Daichi never found out the real reason why, just noticed he’d disappeared in the middle of the night, much to Ukai’s displeasure. </p><p>There were rumors, of course, most of them fuelled by Noya and Tanaka’s curiosity. But none of them really seemed to fit him, especially the one where Akiteru had supposedly decided to elope with a woman from the village. Tanaka swears that one was true, but Daichi had his doubts.</p><p>He shook his head and, feeling the world spin as he did it, quickly stopped and perched himself at the edge of the pier. The ocean was quiet tonight, waves brushing softly against the shore, the water reflecting the bright full moon above. He sighed, clutching the empty bottle in his lap. <em>Why me?</em> Ukai had a grandson, didn’t he? Wasn’t he supposed to be a good sailor too? Why did Daichi have to be the one to shoulder the responsibility of the ship and its crew? </p><p><em>I’ll never be as good of a captain as Ukai</em>, he found himself thinking.<em> I know it. He knows it. The whole crew knows it, so why me?</em> <em>Did he want to teach me a lesson? To humiliate me in front of everyone?</em> Anger rumbled in his chest. He hadn’t asked for this. He hadn’t asked for this at all. </p><p>He was perfectly fine being another one of the crew: laughing with (and sometimes at) Asahi, supervising the small pranks Tanaka and Noya pulled on Ennoshita, pretending to get mad at them when Ennoshita complained… </p><p>He would now have to give all that up because that stupid old man decided to retire. He grasped the neck of his beer bottle, extended his arm as far back as he could, then launched the thing as hard as he could into the ocean. It hit the water with a resounding splash! and he watched rings span out from the point of collision.</p><p>Curiously, the action actually relieved the tension that was building inside of him. He remembered that he knew Ukai well enough to know that the old man always thinks about every decision he makes. Every move was calculated and well thought out. There must be a reason he’d chosen Daichi to take over The Karasuno for him. He hadn’t exactly figured out what it was, but he knew he would eventually. And after all, nobody had protested the decision. In fact, they welcomed it and celebrated. That was a good thing. Right? Pulling himself up, he turned back to the dock, eager to rest his pounding head on a soft pillow when-</p><p>WHAM!</p><p>Something hard smashed into the side of his head, followed by the sound of breaking glass. He stumbled a little, spots dancing before his eyes. He quickly blinked them away, turning around again to yell, “Hey! What the fuck is your--”</p><p>“<em>No!</em>” an extremely hostile voice shouted back, “No! <em>You </em>do not get to yell at<em> me</em>, you asshole!” </p><p>Daichi froze. A boy about his age was bobbing in the water; his silvery blond hair was as pale as the moon above them. Hazel eyes shone bright with fury, a small dot marking the edge of his right eye. Daichi had a hard time ignoring the bare chest covered in creamy skin, which the water kept lapping up against. He was beautiful, beyond beautiful, ethereal. However, at the moment, that beautiful face was flushed and contorted with rage aimed right at Daichi. “Do you care about the ocean?”</p><p>The only thing his dazed mind could come up with was a “Huh?”</p><p>“Do. You. Care. About. The. Ocean.” </p><p>“Uh,” he stammered. “Uh, I mean, I guess?”</p><p>This only seemed to send the other into a ramage, “You guess? Are you kidding me? Oh, Holy Poseidon!” He wrung his hands in the water, and Daichi again had to prevent himself from staring at the boy’s toned muscles. He, instead, tried to focus on the words he was saying, “Do you realize how your actions affect others? Huh? Do you know how many fucking beer bottles I’ve had to fish out every day because of scum like you who think it’s okay to pollute the ocean? Do you know how many sea creatures consume glass and waste and then die painfully because of trash like you? What the fuck is <em>your</em> problem, you inconsiderate two-leg! Huh? Answer me!”</p><p>“I--”</p><p>“You what?”</p><p>“Suga-san!” Another boy with (was that?) green hair popped up next to the man in the water. “Come on! We’re gonna be late for Oikawa-san's housewarming party.” He followed Suga’s angry gaze to Daichi, hiccuped, and sunk a little lower into the water pulling at the other man’s arm. He was muttering something like, “Oh no. Let’s go. Please let’s just go.” Suga’s hazel eyes remained adamant, glaring at Daichi as if daring him to continue.</p><p>Daichi had never been in a weirder situation in his life and tried to find the right response that wouldn’t set Suga off again. “I’m sorry,” he said finally, “I’ll clean it up.” </p><p>Suga blinked in surprise but quickly masked it with a frown. He took that as a good sign, removed his coat, and moved to pick up the remains of his beer bottle. He wrapped them carefully in the folds of his coat then turned back to see Suga and the other boy staring at him, almost in confusion.</p><p> He cleared his throat and continued, “I am <em>really</em> sorry. I was having a pretty bad day. I didn’t mean to be inconsiderate. Please accept my apologies.”</p><p>“Oh…” Suga didn’t even bother to hide his shock, gaping at him open-mouthed, his companion mirroring his expression. “Oh… well… good! Good!” he composed himself and then treated Daichi to one of the most extraordinary things he’d ever seen in his life, a smile as bright as the heavens. “I’m glad there are still good people in this world." He swam over and perched his arms on the dock. "I'm Suga by the way. What’s your name again?”</p><p>“Daichi!” he said a little bit too quickly. “Sawamura Daichi,” he hesitated before adding, “Captain Sawamura Daichi.”</p><p>Suga’s eyes widened, “Ooh a captain?”</p><p>“Yes. To The Karasuno.” He gestured at the nearest boat, the tall one with black and orange sails.</p><p>"Oh." Suga raised his eyebrows before glancing at The Karasuno and saying, “Well...It’s a beautiful ship.”</p><p>“Ah, it’s alright,” and, then, for some stupid reason, he added, “I mean, it’s not as beautiful as you.”</p><p>He felt himself flush red and cursed himself softly. Why?<em> Why</em> did he say that? Suga must think he’s a drunk idiot (which he was, but he didn’t want Suga to think of him like that). If he wasn’t so wrapped up in his thoughts, he would have noticed Suga blush too. The other green-haired boy (oh he was still here?) started tugging on Suga’s arm again.</p><p>“Well, I'd love to stay and chat but I have to go. It was really nice to meet you, Daichi."</p><p>"It was nice to meet you too, Suga," Daichi grinned.</p><p>“Oh and thank you for helping keep our oceans safe," Suga said, smiling warmly back at him. "Your crew should be proud to call you their captain."</p><p><em>I hope they are. I hope they don't regret Ukai's decision. I mean I'm not exactly experienced in that type of leadership and what if I end up getting someone killed. I can't lose one of my crew.</em> He was about to voice these thoughts, hoping Suga would provide some insight on them when he realized the latter was swimming away.</p><p>“Wait!" Daichi blurted out. Suga turned in the water, sending out small ripples. Sparkling hazel eyes met Daichi's dark chocolate ones and he felt his mouth run dry. "Uh... W-Will I see you again?” The amused look on Suga's face made him want to curl up and die. Damn, why did he keep doing such stupid things? He really shouldn’t have drunk so much tonight.</p><p>“I hope so,” was Suga’s smug reply before he disappeared under the water. The green-haired boy followed suit.</p><p> "Yeah. I hope so too." Daichi said to himself, watching the waves continue to lap against the shore. He reveled in the peacefulness of his surroundings before gathering his coat and heading back down the pier. His head still felt a bit woosy. 

</p><p>When Daichi returned to The Karasuno, having shaken the glass out of his coat in a nearby bin, he lay awake a lot longer than he thought he would have, still mulling over the events of the past day. </p><p>He’d become captain of The Karasuno, celebrated with his friends, got a little bit too drunk, and met the most beautiful person in the world. He wondered when he would see Suga again and if he would have to throw another bottle into the ocean to summon him. </p><p>Nah. Tomorrow he’d have to focus on finding recruits. The Karasuno was severely understaffed at the moment and it seems like they'd have to stay in Kitagawa a little while longer before they could set sail again. Anyways, he’d probably be better off asking around the village for an ocean activist with starlight hair and hazel eyes. He wondered if he could convince Suga to join his crew and the prospect of having him aboard the ship made him smile giddily into his pillow as he drifted off to sleep.</p><p>...</p><p>In the morning, Daichi would wake up to a splitting headache. <em>This was all Ukai’s fault</em>, he would think, massaging his temples. Then, as the events from last night came back to him, he’d wonder if he’d simply dreamed of the beautiful boy in the water. It seemed strange that he’d just popped up out of the blue to yell at Daichi and then disappeared so suddenly. He hadn’t even seen him get out of the water. </p><p>Eventually, he wrote it off as a dream because, combined with the lack of silver-haired boys in Kitagawa, he was pretty sure that when Suga and his friend had left, he’d seen multicolored fins momentarily crest the surface of the water. </p><p>And that. <em>That </em>surely couldn’t have happened.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hi! I hope you enjoyed this first chapter! </p><p>I'm going to be switching characters every chapter so next week will be all about Hinata! </p><p>DW tho more Daisuga will come in later chapters :)</p><p>If you're here from my ig or tumblr, hiiiii!! Thank you for coming over and reading! I really appreciate it :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Hinata Shoyo</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Dark magic is spreading across the land and Shoyo and Natsu seek refuge in the great city of Dateko.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This is probably the darkest chapter of the story I've written so far. I'm so sorry. It'll lighten up soon.</p><p>Also yes this is where the minor character death happens.</p><p>Occurs 3 years after the first chapter.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Yukigaoka was a beautiful town. It was small and made up of mostly farmers, brewers, and bakers, but it always had been full of bright colors and bright people. Smells of fresh-baked bread seemed to follow you wherever you went as did the sounds of children playing in the streets. Dogs barked happily and shook their tails, causing the children to shriek with glee before running to go pet them. Yukigaoka was the type of place that was warm even during the winter as if the townspeople’s sunshiney personalities were enough to drive out the bitter cold. It was a special place to Shoyo. It was home.</p><p>“Sho-chan,” Izumi huffed, as he did his best to deflect his friend’s strikes, “if we keep practicing, we’re gonna miss the free meat buns—ah!” His sword flew out of his hand and into the dirt with a muffled clang! Koji gave a “whoop!” from the sidelines.</p><p>Shoyo pointed his sword at Izumi’s chest, the sweat on his face illuminated by the setting sun. He grinned and brought his sword back to his side, “Don’t worry! We still have time. Besides, I want to try this new technique Bokuto-san taught me.”</p><p>“I can’t believe you walk all the way to Dateko just to train with him every week.” Koji said, dusting off his hands as he joined them.</p><p>“Yeah, don’t you get tired?” Izumi said, retrieving his sword.</p><p>Shoyo shrugged, “Not really. He’s one of the best swordsmen in the city. I need to learn everything I can from him before I enroll in the naval guard.” His smile widened, “Then I’m gonna work until I’m the greatest swordsman in history. Now come on!” He gestured at Izumi to put up his sword. “One more!”</p><p>Izumi exchanged a glance with Koji then sighed, raising his sword for what felt like the hundredth time.</p><p>…</p><p>They managed to get to Shimada-san’s shop before he sold out of meat buns then took to meandering around the town square. Yukigaoka’s celebrations were held every solstice and the town usually went all out. Today was no different. </p><p>Orange banners with bright golden suns were hoisted into the air, sparklers were passed around, and the local musicians filled the courtyard with jaunty music. Some of the smaller children were hopping to the beat, unable to follow the complicated dances of the adults while others danced in circles with crowns of marigolds clinging to their heads. </p><p>It was the beginning of summer, Shoyo’s favorite time of the year. </p><p>It wasn’t because his birthday was coming up or that he now had an excuse to buy popsicles but because every summer, his mother would take him and Natsu to the shore and they would spend the day together splashing in the sea. And Shoyo loved the sea. </p><p>Big, beautiful, and the prettiest shade of blue. And sailing on it would open up a whole world of possibilities. There were days he wished he didn’t live in Yukigaoka, miles, and miles away from the ocean. He wanted a house like Bokuto-san had, right there at the edge of Dateko’s beach. He could swim or sail whenever he wanted and have his own adventures across the seven seas. </p><p>The three boys sat in a corner, devouring their meat buns while watching the townspeople dance and Shoyo thought:</p><p>
  <em>Once I’m the best swordsman, I’ll be able to do whatever I want. I’ll go sailing whenever I want and I’ll build a giant mansion for my family and Izumi and Koji right by the ocean and we’ll be able to go to the beach every day and have adventures of our own. I just have to work hard and--</em>
</p><p>“Nii-channn!” Shoyo was able to shove the last of his bun into his mouth before his sister collided with him. “Nii-chan! Look! Look what I made you!” She held out a tiny wreath of marigolds to him. </p><p>“It’s so small. It’s like a bracelet!” Shoyo said, slipping it onto his wrist.</p><p>“Well I would have made it longer but they kept falling off,” she explained, adjusting her crown of marigolds grumpily, “and Okaasan wouldn’t let me nail them together.” The boys shared an amused look. “She said I was too little to use a hammer so I asked her if she could do it but she said no,” she pouted.</p><p>“That’s a shame,” Koji said, “I’m pretty sure you would have made a chain all the way to Dakteo if you could use nails.” Natsu nodded in agreement.</p><p>Izumi grinned. “You know what, Nat-chan? Koji and I will make an extra-long one just for you and Sho-chan since we’re old enough to use hammers.”</p><p>Her face brightened. “Okay! Right now?”</p><p>“Sure! Come on Koji!” he said nudging his friend, “We have to gather enough flowers!”</p><p>“Yeah! We’ll see you tomorrow Shoyo!” </p><p>“Bye!” Shoyo waved as they left, smiling to himself. </p><p>He loved Yukigaoka. It was a comfortable, happy place that served delicious meat buns and had beautiful festivals all the time. And it held some of his favorite people in the world: his mother, Natsu, Izumi, and Koji. He would never leave them. How could he? They meant the world to him.</p><p>It was one thing to enroll in the naval guard and see them a couple months out of the year. But to leave Yukigaoka entirely? He didn’t think he could do it. The ocean wasn’t worth sailing on if he could never see them again. Yukigaoka was his home and it always would be.</p><p>So why did that fact make him a little sad?</p><p>Natsu tugged on his sleeve, “I want sparklers.”</p><p>…</p><p>Shoyo wasn’t sure handing his sister the sparkler was a good idea but he quickly decided it wasn’t. The minute her little hand wrapped around it, she pointed it directly at the cuffs of his pants and caught them on fire. The shopkeeper had dunked an obscene amount of water on him to put it out and now he was soaking wet with a burnt pant leg. </p><p>“You owe me a new pair of pants.” he grumbled. “These ones are ruined.” </p><p>The sounds from the festival diminished as they trudged down the path they usually took home, an alleyway they used as a shortcut. Most people were still celebrating in the square but all Shoyo wanted was to get home and get dry. </p><p>“We can just cut the other side and they’ll look the same!” Natsu giggled.</p><p>Shoyo made sure she saw he was rolling his eyes at her before turning back to the road, and immediately colliding headfirst into a tall hooded man. The stranger grabbed his arm before Shoyo tumbled backward. Shoyo felt a slight burn at the spot where his fingers had curled themselves around. </p><p>The man yanked him forward until they were chest to chest and hissed, “Where is he?” A pair of dark snake-like eyes gleamed from under the hood. He tightened his grip on Shoyo’s arm and the burning grew hotter. “Tell me. Now.” </p><p>Panic set in. “I--Uh--Who?”</p><p>“Get away from him! Let him go!” Natsu screamed, dashing forward and kicking the man straight in the shin. The stranger grimaced in pain and, before Shoyo could tell her to stop, he’d flicked his hand and Natsu went flying. She smacked into the alley wall, slid down it, and lay motionless.</p><p>“Natsu!” Shoyo squirmed away from the man and rushed to her side. A trickle of blood was running down the top of Natsu’s head. He ripped a strip of cloth from his already torn pants and bunched it up, pressing it to her head in an attempt to stop the bleeding. “Wake up Natsu…Wake up!” he patted her cheeks gently, “Please please please.” </p><p>Her eyes fluttered a little but remained shut. Anger replaced panic. He turned back to where the stranger stood and drew his sword. But the man had vanished. <em>How dare he? How dare he just chuck my sister, <span class="u">my little sister</span>, at a wall and then just leave?</em> </p><p>He sheathed his sword again before scooping Natsu into his arms and running home as fast as he could.<em> He’ll pay for this, that bastard, </em>he thought. <em>I’ll make sure of it.</em></p><p>…</p><p>Natsu had recovered by the morning, a little bandaged X over her wound but she was more upset about the fact that she’d lost her marigold crown. </p><p>“I’ll make you another one,” Shoyo sighed as he watched her eat her breakfast.</p><p>“It won’t be the same.” Natsu puffed her cheeks out, “It won’t be a summer solstice crown. It’ll just be another stupid flower crown.”</p><p>Shoyo frowned.<em> So stubborn.</em> He glanced at the sunlight streaming through the windows. It must be about 8 in the morning. Shoyo’s mother worked evenings as a waitress at a small tavern so Shoyo wasn’t surprised that she wasn’t there when they’d gotten back last night. He <em>was</em> surprised she hadn’t come home yet. </p><p>Maybe he’d go down to the tavern with Natsu to check on her. And along the way, they could get more bread and cheese as Natsu was currently swallowing the last of it. </p><p>He dug out a couple of shillings from the back of his dresser and counted them out. It should be enough for one loaf and the smallest hunk of cheese Shimada-san had. </p><p>Shoyo hoped his mother had more with her. His only pair of pants were still burnt and torn at the leg. Shrugging on his jacket, he made sure Natsu was dressed before they set out.</p><p>Their small little house was perched near the edge of the town. Natsu hummed as they walked down the dirt path, Yukigaoka’s buildings slowly looming into view; Shoyo opted to take the long way in case they ran into the same strange man in the alleyway again. He still felt a sting on his arm and pulled up his sleeve just to double-check there wasn’t a burn on it. Nothing. <em>Weird.</em> </p><p>	The stillness in the air should have been the first sign that something was horribly wrong. Normally people would be up and about by this hour, especially those who wanted freshly baked bread.<em> Maybe everyone’s still recovering from the festival. </em>Shoyo thought hopefully as they neared the first house. But still…</p><p>	And then Natsu stopped humming and reached for Shoyo’s hand. Shoyo’s eyes widened. The orange banners were shredded to pieces and hung loosely in their stations. Large dark burns stained the dirt and wheeled their way from the center of the square out to the edge of the buildings. Carts were overturned and piles of marigolds littered the courtyard as did more than a dozen or so bodies.</p><p> “Nii-chan?” Natsu shrunk back behind him, clutching his hand fiercely. </p><p>	“Don’t look, Natsu,” he breathed and she hid her face in his back. Shoyo drew out his sword although he knew it wouldn’t do him any good. </p><p>This was the work of dark magic and if whatever did this found him and Natsu he was sure they would join the ranks of the dead. He tried not to stare at the bodies of people he had once known and the web of dark red lines that seem to have erupted from their skin. He dreaded approaching every prone figure they had to step around, praying it wasn’t Izumi, Koji, Shimada-san, or even worse, his mother.</p><p>He carefully made his way to the tavern, Natsu still clutching the back of his shirt. Their every footfall seemed to be magnified by a hundred as they walked the familiar path. Shoyo kept glancing around to make sure no one was going to sneak up on them and only caught sight of broken windows and trampled marigolds. Everything in him was screaming to take Natsu and run, but they came here for a purpose.</p><p>Rounding the corner, they saw Hyakuzawa’s Tavern, smashed glass littering the street surrounding it. They didn’t even have to go in. One glance through the open window had told him all he needed to know. A woman with flaming orange hair was lying face down on the tavern floor, her skin paler than usual and covered with long thin red lines. </p><p>Shoyo stopped in his tracks, feeling his blood run cold. His sword shook in his hand and he tried his best to steady it as tears came cascading down his cheeks. He felt Natsu move behind him, trying to figure out why they had stopped, and wiped his tears hurriedly before she could see. He whirled her around so that her back was facing the tavern window where their mother lay and knelt down in front of her so that they were at the same eye level.</p><p>“Natsu, we need to leave Yukigaoka right now.”</p><p>“But what about Okaasan?”</p><p>Shoyo bit his lip. “We’ll… we’ll see her at Dateko okay? She’ll be waiting for us there.”</p><p>“Are these people dead?”</p><p>“I think they’re just sleeping,” he lied.</p><p>“Then why are you so sad.”</p><p>“Because I don’t want to leave. But, you see, we have to, otherwise, we won’t be able to wake everyone up.”</p><p>Natsu’s eyes widened, “Ooh like Sleeping Beauty?”</p><p>“Yes, exactly like that, except less kissing.” he straightened up and took her hand, leading her away from the tavern.<em> I’m sorry Okaasan. I’m sorry I couldn’t be there for you. </em></p><p>He stopped by the bakers, making Natsu count to ten while he quickly grabbed as much bread as he could. Then, feeling guilty, he left the rest of his money on the counter and turned to rush Natsu home. </p><p>They would be better off leaving Yukigaoka behind. The longer he and Natsu stayed here, the greater the risk they had of running into whoever did this to their town. He wondered if he could sell the house to someone, but then quickly remembered that no one would take it. This was no longer the Yukogaoka he knew, no longer the happy, colorful, joy-filled town he’d grown up in. This was cursed land now and that’s all it would ever be. </p><p>…</p><p>Shoyo had traveled to Dateko many times before but he’d forgotten how strenuous every mile could be. It was not that they had much to carry with them. The only things Shoyo had in his worn bag were his and Natsu’s jackets, bread, Natsu’s ragdoll, and a small hunting knife that Bokuto-san had gifted him on his last birthday. </p><p>The strain began when the summer sun had started to rise and the humidity kicked in. The flask of water strapped to his side was getting light and he noticed Natsu starting to sway dangerously. </p><p>“Here,” he popped open the top of the flask and handed it to her. She took a sip then made to hand it back but he shook his head. “It’s okay. You can finish it. I’m not thirsty,” his dry throat said otherwise but Natsu was his top priority right now. They continued on, Shoyo’s skin turning a bright red in the heat. Natsu kept stumbling on the path and eventually had to be carried on Shoyo’s back. </p><p>It was almost dusk when Natsu straightened up on his shoulders. “Nii-chan look! It’s just like the pictures in the books!” The great grey walls of Dateko’s citadel rose high in the distance. Shoyo could’ve cried. The city that lay before them bordered the sea and as they drew closer, Shoyo felt the cool ocean breeze rush over his skin. He hoisted Natsu up, suddenly energized, and picked up the pace. </p><p>Dateko was known for its defense, often dubbed “The City with Iron Walls.” It was probably one of the safest places in the kingdom and Shoyo (like everyone else) had been surprised to learn that the King had decided to build his castle elsewhere. Two giant iron gates barred entryway into the city as did two very tall stern-looking guards. Shoyo had been here often enough to know they weren’t as scary as they seemed but he was nevertheless extremely intimidated as he approached the gates to the city. </p><p>“Hinata!” Koganegawa called, happy to see a familiar face. “Oh? Who’ve you got there?” Next to him, Aone nodded at the approaching figures in greeting.</p><p>“My sister, Natsu.” Shoyo chose his next words carefully, as Koganegawa smiled and Aone waved at Natsu. She waved back politely. “We’re going to visit Bokuto-san.”</p><p>“Ooh! Well, come on in then!” Koganegawa said, motioning to the guard above to open the gates. Shoyo grinned at him, thanking the heavens that they’d gotten in easy and didn’t have to sneak into “The City with Iron Walls.”  He placed Natsu on the ground, watching as the gates opened steadily.</p><p>He was about to step through before a hand was on his shoulder. Flinching slightly, he noticed Aone’s piercing gaze was directed at him. <em>He knew.</em> Shoyo thought. <em>He knew what happened in our town. He’s gonna have us arrested and thrown in jail for endangerment. </em>He took a couple of steps back and reached for Natsu’s hand, ready to make a run for it. Then Aone leaned down muttered, “Don’t tell anyone where you’re from. It will only cause trouble.” Shoyo nodded, getting the message. <em>Be careful. </em></p><p>Aone had a right to be nervous. If anyone found out that Shoyo and Natsu had come from a cursed town, they’d be tossed out of the city, arrested, or worse, killed. They had to be careful. Shoyo scolded himself for being so careless. No doubt serious news like this was bound to reach a big city like Dateko. He just had hoped it would have traveled slower than him. Dateko’s defenses would be doubled since Yukigaoka was the closest town to it. Everyone would be on alert. Even now, he felt the stares of strangers the minute he entered. <em>Be careful.</em></p><p>He quickly dragged Natsu down the familiar path he took through the city, ignoring her protests. They had to get away from prying eyes and to Bokuto-san immediately. <em>Bokuto-san would know what to do,</em> Shoyo reassured himself.<em> Bokuto-san always knew what to do.</em> </p><p>Along the way, he recognized a couple of familiar faces in the marketplace. Saeko was busy trying to convince a couple of kids to buy some of her fireworks; Takeda was talking amicably about his pottery to a man with long blonde hair who honestly seemed more interested in the potter than his work; Kohana and Komi were at Komi’s poultry stall arguing over the price of a chicken (they eventually agreed to 5 shillings). Instead of greeting each of them like he normally would, Shoyo sped past them towards a small shack near the edge of the docks.</p><p>Despite its dilapidated outer appearance, Shoyo knew it was a surprisingly well-kept place, having entered the residence on multiple occasions. The little crude owls Bokuto had carved greeted him politely as he stepped up to the door. Bokuto-san said that they added “pizzazz.” Shoyo still didn’t know what that meant. He knocked and the door swung open almost immediately.</p><p>A pair of sharp golden eyes fell to meet his gaze and widened. “Hey! Hey! Hey!” </p><p>	“Bokuto-san!” a grin spread over Shoyo’s face and, for a moment, the stress he’d been feeling all day lifted from his shoulders. </p><p>Natsu rushed over and wrapped her arms around Bokuto’s midriff. “We missed you so much Bokuto-san.” </p><p>“I missed you too.” Bokuto patted her head, his smile growing wider. “I’m glad you came to visit.”</p><p>Shoyo caught sight of two other pairs of eyes that peeked out from behind Bokuto. “Oh hi Kinoshita. Narita.” They were staring at him in surprise but nodded at him as Bokuto let him and Natsu in. </p><p>“They were just telling me about a business opportunity they had.” Bokuto explained, flopping down on his mattress. “Said they wanted to know if I knew someone that was good with a sword. I suggested you even though I wasn’t sure when you’d be back.” </p><p>Shoyo blushed at the compliment but quickly stiffened when Narita’s voice floated over, “I’m surprised they let you in here,” he was watching Shoyo carefully,“I mean I’m sorry to hear about your town and all but you’re putting us all at risk just by being here.”</p><p>“Eh?” Bokuto shot up, anger etched on his face. “What are you trying to say, huh?”</p><p>“His town was attacked by the mages.” he clarified, straightening up. “Apparently they’re still looking for that boy of theirs.”</p><p>Kinoshita nodded, “They could bring the mages here. From what I’ve heard about them, they aren’t too fond of survivors.”</p><p>“What are mages, Bokuto-san?” Natsu asked.</p><p>“They’re magical folk who were exiled to Nohebi after they’d tried to take the throne about a hundred years ago.” Bokuto said, furrowing his brow, “I always assumed that they’d died off by now, but, based on the rumors, I guess they’ve made it this long.” </p><p>“How did you survive the Ire?” Kinoshita said, intrigued, “You don’t have any of the markings.”</p><p>Shoyo blinked, remembering the image of long dark red lines etched into his mother’s skin, “Uh… We... We live on the edge of town. They must have missed us.”</p><p>“Lucky,” Narita said softly, “Just be careful around here, Shoyo. If people find out you two are from Yukigaoka, they’ll report you.” </p><p>There was a pause. Shoyo could feel the tension thickening in the air. This was bad. They shouldn't have come. It was almost as dangerous as staying back at home. But, he reasoned, it’s not like they had anywhere else to go. They barely had any food and no money to their names. Everyone in their town was presumed dead, killed by whatever the hell the Ire was.</p><p>Kinoshita seemed to know what he was thinking because he said “Anyways, this business opportunity. It's more like a job. Some friends of ours could use some extra help on their ship,” he eyed Shoyo carefully. “Pays pretty good but you’d be out at sea for a while.” </p><p>Shoyo glanced at Natsu. If they were going to live here, they’d have to find a way to bring in some money. He hated leaving Natsu but she was still a child. She was too young to have a job of her own. Besides, more people in Dateko knew Shoyo than they did her so it’d be easier to hide the fact they came from a cursed town if he left to work on some ship. </p><p>Bokuto-san could take care of Natsu while he was gone. Bokuto-san had a stable job at the swordfighting academy in town and she liked him enough so it shouldn’t be too much of a problem. Shoyo could have his earnings sent back to her whenever they docked. And, although he knew it was selfish thinking, he now had the opportunity to see what ship life was really like. He would be able to sail across the ocean in a ship with a crew like he’d always wanted.</p><p>“So what do I have to do?” </p><p>…</p><p>	They stayed at Bokuto’s for the night, feasting on the bread Shoyo had brought and cooked beef. It had been so long since they had meat.  Natsu seemed happy to be able to spend more time with Bokuto-san even if it was at her brother’s expense. Shoyo would have been offended had it not been for the fact that he was running over the instructions Kinoshita and Narita had given to him.</p><p>	<em>“Go to the dock at sunrise. Look for a ship named The Karasuno and ask for Captain Sawamura Daichi. We’ll tell him you’ll be there. He’ll let you know more about the job.”</em></p><p>“You promise you’ll come home though, right Nii-chan?” Natsu said while curled up on Bokuto’s bed. Bokuto’s loud snores from the couch kept them both wide awake, although Shoyo didn’t mind. At this point, he would take as much time with his sister as he could get. </p><p>“Of course I’ll come home.” he replied from the foot of the bed. From what Kinoshita and Narita had implied, the voyage would take them anywhere from 3-12 months at sea. He hoped that the pay was as good as they’d made it sound. </p><p>“Take care of my things for me.” Her big amber eyes bobbed as she nodded. “And make sure you stay hidden.” She nodded again. He sighed and laid down on the floor, annoyed at the excitement coursing through his veins.<em> I’m not doing this for me. I’m doing this to protect her, </em>he reminded himself. <em>To protect and provide for her. Not because I want to sail the ocean. For her.</em></p><p>He glanced at the Natsu shaped lump on the bed. This would be the first time she would have to go without him for more than a day. He had always been there for her since the minute she was born and now… </p><p>An owl hooted softly somewhere in the night. It sounded sad as if it knew what was going on inside Bokuto’s little shack. “Nii-chan?”</p><p>“Yeah?”</p><p>Her voice wobbled a little. “I’m gonna miss you.”</p><p>His eyes prickled with tears, but he held them back as he got up to perch himself on the bed. She wrapped her arms around his middle like she’d done with Bokuto earlier that day and cried into his nightshirt.</p><p>“I’m going to miss you too, Natsu.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I feel bad...  but look Bokuto!</p><p>Sorry, I'm updating a little later than expected because I rewrote this like three times because I wasn't happy with it. But hey! At least it's twice as long as Chapter 1. Also if you noticed any spelling or grammar mistakes lemme know so I can fix them. I couldn't edit this as well as the last one.</p><p>Next update: The Prophecy...</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Daishou Suguru</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>“For the record, I hate that you have to do this,” he said under his breath.<br/>“Well it’s your fault,” she murmured back.<br/>Daishou stiffened. Right, like he didn’t beat himself up about that every minute of every day. She just had to bring it up now. “Yes...I know. I’m sorry.”</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This occurs sometime in between Ch 1 and Ch 2. The timeline is a little wobbly rn but I swear it will get back on track at the end of Ch 4 (and things will begin to connect).</p>
<p>Sorry for such a short chapter this time but Ch 4 will definitely be longer and I'll be finished with it a lot sooner!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Mika-”</p>
<p>“Suguru, we’re not talking about this anymore. Just let me in the room.”</p>
<p>“At least tell me what you saw. <em>Who</em> you saw.”</p>
<p>“I told you. I didn’t see much. And even if I did see who it is, I wouldn’t tell <em>you</em>,” she said, briskly, “The elders have to hear it first. Those are the rules.” Mika brushed past him and up to the giant oak doors. The crest of the Nohebi elders, a large coiled serpent devouring its own tail, gleamed in the low light. She pressed her hand against the wood.</p>
<p>“Wait,” Daishou whirled her around. Her fierce brown eyes glared back at him but he held her steady. “Let me go with you. They’d think you’d slipped in.”</p>
<p>She paused then sighed out an irritated “Fine.” </p>
<p>He pressed his palm to the door. Green tendrils snaked out from under his hand and spiraled their way to the doorframe. They glowed briefly before the door creaked open. Daishou glanced at her and saw her hands twisting in the folds of her cloak. The last time he’d seen her do that was right before… He tried to place his hand on hers to calm her but she pulled away from him. Of course that wouldn’t work now. He shook his head, turning back to the door.</p>
<p>“For the record, I hate that you have to do this,” he said under his breath. </p>
<p>“Well it’s your fault,” she muttered back. </p>
<p>Daishou stiffened. Right, like he didn’t beat himself up about that every minute of every day. She just had to bring it up now. “Yes...I know. I’m sorry.”</p>
<p>She ignored him, pushing the door fully open and striding in. Daishou followed her, trying to keep his expression neutral. He didn’t want to lay out all his personal business for the elders to see. But then again, they were powerful mages so they probably could see right through him.</p>
<p>Torches in ornate silver serpent holders illuminated the high ceilings of the elders’ chambers. The air was 10 degrees colder in here, too cold for Daishou’s liking but he shrugged it off quickly. Three figures stood on the large marble dias, all of which turned at the sound of their footsteps. </p>
<p>Nobody really knew who the Nohebi elders were but they had made a reputation for themselves as being the most well-versed mages in the land and heads of the prestigious Nohebi Academy. They were well versed in their craft, taking only the best of the best under their wing. Both Daishou and Mika had been lucky enough to have been selected when they were children along with four others around their age. The six of them had been a tight-knit group during their times at the Academy. Daishou wondered where the rest of them were now… </p>
<p>Despite studying under the elders for many years, a shiver still runs down Daishou’s spine whenever he catches sight of the three hooded men. There was something about them that always made him feel uneasy. Maybe it was because he’d only ever saw the hard lines of their mouths under their long hoods or that they never seemed to eat, sleep, or drink. The blueish orbs on their staffs glowed softly, the silver serpent heads wrapped around them shining in the low light. Daishou could feel the elders’ steely gazes watching them as they approached the dias. He and Mika bowed low.</p>
<p>“I apologize for the disturbance, elders,” he heard his voice echo in the large room, “But the Oracle has had a vision.”</p>
<p>“Come forth, Mika,” the middle one beckoned and Mika stepped away from Daishou. “Tell us what you saw.”</p>
<p>She took a deep breath, “On the year of the three blue moons, the strongest mage in the kingdom will come into his full power.”</p>
<p> A silence filled the room. Daishou waited for her to continue then realized that was all the information the vision had granted her. His eyes flickered from the back of her head to the faceless elders in front of him. Their mouths were now formed into deep frowns. The nervous knot that had formed in his stomach when they had entered tightened.</p>
<p>“Is that all?” the elder on the left asked in a deep rumbling voice.</p>
<p>“What <em>other</em> information did you glean?” the elder on the right demanded. “Who is he? What does he look like? What city does he reside in? Nohebi? Dateko?”</p>
<p>“Maybe in a town perhaps?” the middle elder suggested, his voice growing impatient at Mika’s silence, “Kitagawa? Yukigaoka? Where is he, girl? Speak!”</p>
<p>At his last command, Mika’s back spasmed suddenly and her body began to jerk uncontrollably. Daishou knew exactly what was about to happen and he had to stop this before things got out of hand. He stepped forward, “That’s enough. She’s told you all she knows.”</p>
<p>“Silence Suguru!” the middle elder snapped, “you do not have the authority to tell your elders how to question their prophet.”</p>
<p>“If you push her any further, she’ll go into a trance,” Daishou continued, trying and failing to quell the anger in his voice. “I just think that-”</p>
<p>“You are not here to think,” the elder cut him off with a hiss, “You are here to <em>obey</em>. Now hold your tongue.”</p>
<p>Daishou bit down a retort, seething as he saw Mika’s body calm and a familiar blueish glow appear in her eyes. They’d done what they’d meant to do. They were forcing her to prophesize. </p>
<p>Daishou had read that the gift of prophecy was rare among mages, an honor to have, but the elders had never seen it that way. When Mika first realized she had the gift a couple of years ago, the elders had grilled her about every single one of her visions as soon as they came. Ever since then, Daishou had noticed a change in her. </p>
<p>Stress made dark shadows form under her eyes and replaced her soft smiles with grimaces. She’d only eat if Daishou reminded her and was more irritable around others. She had also begun secluding herself, muttering and sobbing until Daishou found her cowering in some dark corner. He would wrap his arms around her and promise her everything was going to be okay while she wept into his cloak.</p>
<p>When Daishou had brought his concerns to the elders, they had said that she was contributing to the greater good, that her exhaustion was just temporary. That once they were able to take over the kingdom, she would be repaid for her efforts in full and she would never experience pain and suffering ever again. They spoke well and had filled Daishou with hope for a better life, one in which he and Mika could live happily ever after. And Daishou had stupidly believed them. </p>
<p>They had a chance to leave the Academy and the elders behind at their graduation, but he’d convinced her to stay, <em>convinced</em> her that they would have a better life together if they served the elders. </p>
<p><em>“They have a plan, Mika, and we’d be foolish not to help them achieve it.”</em> </p>
<p>Idiot. Idiot! </p>
<p>She’d only gotten worse, becoming almost skeletal like as the elders insisted on more prophecies, more answers. Daishou had done his best to help her through their demands but eventually, it became too much for her. Mika left him. But now.. now she’d finally seen what they’d been looking for all these years: a powerful mage that would allow them to rise to power once more. This changed everything.</p>
<p>The middle elder cleared his throat, “Great Oracle. Is this the mage who will help us bring about a new order onto this world?”</p>
<p>A lopsided smile formed on Mika’s face. It was twisted and cold, an expression that Daishou loathed because it was so unlike her. “Yessss,” her voice came out like a harsh whisper, “He will be the one to bring the kingdom to its kneessss. He will allow the serpentssss of Nohebi to devour the universsssse.”</p>
<p>“Pray tell what is his name?”</p>
<p>Daishou was watching her intensely. It was Daishou’s fault they were stuck here as servants of the elders so it was his responsibility to get them out of it. If Mika knew who it was, which mage they were looking for, then finding that person would guarantee their escape from the elders. Once the elders had whoever it was, Mika wouldn’t have to go through this anymore. She’d eat again, laugh again, and maybe… maybe they might have a chance to be together again. And Daishou was willing to do whatever it took to make that happen.</p>
<p>“Who is he?” the middle elder asked.</p>
<p>Mika’s eyes glowed a little brighter and her smile grew a little more lopsided. “Akaassssshi Keiji,” she whispered out. Then she lurched forward as her back spasmed again. Daishou caught her before she hit the floor. Her eyes had fluttered shut and a light sweat had formed on her brow. Daishou dabbed it gently away with his sleeve.</p>
<p>“Suguru,” the middle elder drawled.</p>
<p>“Yes, sir.”</p>
<p>“Bring him to us.”</p>
<p>	Daishou nodded at the hooded men before picking up Mika’s unconscious body and headed out of the room. When they’d passed through the giant oak doors, a wide smile began forming Daishou’s face. “Time for us to visit an old friend, Mika-chan,” he murmured, carrying her out into the cool dark night.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I'm not really used to writing or reading about Mika and Daishou so this is a first for me. I hope I managed to get their characters right...</p>
<p>Next chapter: Akaashi and the aftermath of the Daisuga "incident" (the sirens are back bb!)</p>
<p>Thank you for all your comments on the previous two chapters! I loved reading them all and I'm happy that you guys like the story so far :)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Akaashi Keiji</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>“Just tell me what you want before I hex you.”<br/>“Mika had a vision concerning you.”<br/>“I’m flattered,” Akaashi said dryly.<br/>“She said you’ll bring about the kingdom’s ruin.”</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Akaashi's chapters will probably be longer than the others because he does a lot of thinking and introspection (and he's the link between the seas, the land, and magic).</p><p>Also if you have read Akaashi's comics on my tumblr, there's going to be some differences between what I drew for those and what I have here. The basic plotline is the same though :)</p><p>EDIT: The timeline's still kinda wonky. Just know for this chapter we're starting from the day after the events Ch 1 and ending after the events of Ch 2. Sorry, it will be more straightforward after this!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Akaashi liked to think he led a pretty normal life. Normal by mage standards at least. He would wake up, shower, go to his lessons at the Academy, and occasionally wander around the misty caves that lay on the western shore of Nohebi.</p><p> He’d first traveled there after he’d had gotten shit from Daishou for making him look bad in front of the elders (he was only trying to prevent Daishou from adding in the newt’s tails too quickly before he blew up their shared cauldron). He had wanted to get away from Daishou’s snide jabs to practice his spells in peace, enjoying the serenity of the caves. </p><p>But now he had another reason to visit.  </p><p>He quickly wormed his way through the wet boulders guarding the entrance to the caves. The interior was damp, dim, and smelled strongly of seaweed, but Akaashi had gotten used to it by now. Deep pools of seawater made turquoise light dance across the smooth walls. </p><p>He scooted around the stalagmites and, from his bag, he pulled out an opaque sea orb that was about the size of his hand. It glowed bright blue, its colors mixing with those on the cave walls. It was a signal. A message just for him. <em>Come meet us.</em> </p><p>Akaashi shoved it back in his bag and perched himself a safe distance away from the largest pool. And there he waited. </p><p>Kenma was always the first to surface. Akaashi watched him as he leaned back on the edge of the pool, never letting the water rise above his middle. Kenma’s scarlet tail swished below him, striking against the bright blue water. His fins were long red velvet curtains that kept him afloat. His golden eyes blinked a “hello” to Akaashi before working on squeezing the saltwater from his long two-toned hair. </p><p>Akaashi quite liked these quiet moments with Kenma. He and Akaashi were similar in personality and that usually resulted in them creating a very calming, peaceful environment together. Both never initiated a conversation unless they needed to, preferring to listen to the waves crashing outside the cave walls. </p><p>It took ten minutes-ten minutes of complete tranquility-before the others surfaced. Kiyoko waved shyly up at Akaashi and took her place a short distance away from Kenma (everyone knew Kenma liked his space). Oikawa and Suga seemed to be in the middle of an argument, which was observed by an apprehensive Yamaguchi. He gave Akaashi a nervous smile, eyes flitting back and forth between Suga and Oikawa. </p><p>“But you don’t understand! He was <em>so</em> nice even after I yelled at him,” Suga was saying, his silver tail swishing beneath him.</p><p>Oikawa groaned into his palms, “Suga, he’s The Karasuno’s captain!”</p><p>“So?” </p><p>“So you know that they’ve been looking for Atlantean gold for ages,” Oikawa rolled his eyes, “It doesn’t matter how cute or nice he was last night. He’s probably just trying to use you for information.”</p><p>“That’s not fair!” Suga exclaimed, “You didn’t meet him!”</p><p>“I thought he seemed pretty nice,” Yamaguchi murmured and Suga gestured at him like <em>see!</em> “And the captain didn’t say anything about the gold.” </p><p>“I don’t even think he saw our tails!” Suga said, proudly.</p><p>“Kaashi-kun!!” Oikawa whined, turning his attention to the mage, “Tell them. Tell them that that captain's no good. Or at least cast a spell that’ll make him stop pining. It’s disgusting.”</p><p>“Wha- Tooru, you’re like the <em>king</em> of pining!”</p><p>“At least I’m not stupid enough to go after a greedy pirate!”</p><p>“Shut up! He’s not like that!”</p><p>“How do you know? You met him <em>once</em>!”</p><p>“Guys… Please stop fighting.” Yamaguchi said, glancing between the other two who were now red in the face.</p><p>“I thought Captain Ukai was like a hundred years old,” Akaashi said, Kenma nodding in the background.</p><p>“No!” Suga said quickly, “No no no! I think they've got a new captain! Sawamura Daichi.” He said the name breathlessly and Akasshi could practically see the hearts forming in his eyes. “I met him near the ports. He was so kind and respectful and he picked up his trash. He got so flustered when I called him out on it and it was so cute.”</p><p>	“Right because no one’s <em>ever</em> picked up trash before,” Oikawa said, dryly, picking at his nails. </p><p>	“Tooru!”</p><p>“Come on! Seriously, Suga? You could do so much better.” </p><p>	Akaashi nodded. “I hate to say it but I have to agree with Oikawa.” Suga’s mouth fell open. “Suga, you literally only like this guy because he’s cute and he picks up trash. I doubt you know more than his name and his position.” </p><p>Oikawa smirked, “See! Even Kaashi-kun says that he could be using you.” </p><p>Akaashi shrugged, “Given The Karasuno’s track record he very well could be.” Suga pouted, his eyes had widened in a silent plea. “Oh don’t give me that look. I’m just trying to be reasonable.” </p><p>“Stop acting like an idiot, Suga,” Kenma’s voice floated over to them and they all turned to look at him. The sudden spotlight on him made Kenma shrink back a little but he continued, “Pirates are very shifty people to begin with. Their very existence depends on them finding treasure and pillaging and plundering villages. That’s why we have the rule: never trust pirates. They will do anything to get their hands on gold. What’s more, The Karasuno’s made it known that their life’s purpose is to find Atlantean gold. Sawamura’s bound to find out that sirens are the key to finding it, if he doesn’t know that already. You were risking all of our safety just by talking to him. Who knows what could have happened to you and Yamaguchi if he’d figured out you’re sirens.”</p><p>“But he-” Suga started but Kenma cut him off.</p><p>“So stop acting like you know everything that’s going through Sawamura’s head and focus on protecting the people who actually care about you.” </p><p>There was a pause as Kenma’s words sank in. Akaashi watched the indignant look slide off of Suga’s face to be replaced with one of extreme guilt. They all knew Suga well enough to know that he wouldn’t do anything to harm the others. Hell he’d probably drown Sawamura before he let anything happen to them. </p><p>“You’re right.” Suga sighed dejectedly. His shoulders drooped and he sunk a little lower in the water.</p><p>It was disheartening to see Suga’s hazel eye dim. They were usually so full of emotion and passion. Kiyoko swam over to comfort him. “I’m sorry, Suga.” </p><p>Suga hummed sadly, “Yeah I know... I just... I really liked him.”</p><p>Akaashi decided to change the subject, hoping what he had to say would take Suga’s mind off the captain. He cleared his throat, “So um… I have a present for you all.” He pulled his bag to him, rummaging inside before pulling out five crystals hanging from strings. Their multi colors sparkled in the low light, casting a small rainbow along the side of Akaashi’s jaw.</p><p>Oikawa’s eyes lit up immediately. “Ooh!!”</p><p>They all swam closer to Akaashi, even Kenma, who pushed a long strand of hair to the side to get a better look. “They’re transformation crystals,” Akaashi explained. “All you would have to do is rub the crystal and you can turn your fins into legs.” He passed them out accordingly. He’d selected ones that would match each of their tails: dark red for Kenma, green for Yamaguchi, clear for Suga, light blue for Oikawa, and a soft orange speckled with black for Kiyoko’s koi spots. </p><p>“This is so cool!” Oikawa’s eyes sparkled as he palmed the crystal.</p><p>“The enchantment I put on them should make them good for at least three transformations.” Akaashi said, sitting back against a nearby stalagmite as he watched his friends admire their gifts.</p><p>“What’s the occasion?” Kiyoko asked.</p><p>“Ah..” Akaashi blushed. He was hoping that they wouldn’t ask why. “I just thought...” he chose his words carefully, “Well you guys are like my only friends. And since there isn’t a spell to turn humans into sirens, I thought it might be nice…” he trailed off, not meeting their eyes. </p><p>He had realized that his gifts were made out of pure selfishness. But ever since he’d met the sirens, he’d always wanted to be a part of the group. To see them more than once a week. To swim away with them at the end of the day and leave Nohebi, the Academy, and the elders behind. </p><p>He wanted to participate in their adventures, wanted to be there when Suga and Yamaguchi had met the captain of The Karasuno. Or when Oikawa almost lost his voice and needed someone to nurse him back to health. He wanted to hear them sing without having to worry about being dragged under the depths (not that they would do that but they assured him he would try to drown himself nonetheless.) </p><p>He wanted to be with his friends.</p><p>Suga seemed to get it because, despite the lingering sadness in his eyes, he smiled warmly up at Akaashi, “I’ve always wanted to see what Nohebi was like.”</p><p>“This must have taken you forever!” Yamaguchi exclaimed, “I remember reading about this in the library once. It’s supposed to be really complicated and you have to be super powerful to be able to enchant it.”</p><p>“And you made five.” Kenma sounded almost impressed.</p><p>Akaashi didn’t respond. He didn’t want to tell them how he’d spent months trying to gather potion ingredients without the elders noticing. How he worked late into the night, studying the incantations over and over and over again so that he could get them just right. He was still about 80% sure that they worked… <em>Maybe if I had added more lacewing… </em></p><p>“I wonder what legs would feel like,” Oikawa said pensively before clapping his hands together, “Let’s try it out!”</p><p>...</p><p>	Akaashi had led a pretty normal life for a mage until now. Things got complicated, as they always seemed to do.</p><p>Within a year, the rumors of the existence of Atlantean gold had reached the ears of the Nohebi citizens. As they were a land full of magical folk, they (unlike most gold seekers) knew that in order to reach the treasure, they’d have to capture a siren. Originally, the sirens had shrugged it off. Akaashi was the only person who dared to come near the caves where they resided so it wasn’t like they had much to worry about…</p><p>Akaashi nearly slipped on a wet rock as he barrelled down the path to the caves. It had been a big day. Mika had discovered she had the power of prophecy in the middle of their lessons. Daishou had flipped out when her eyes started glowing blue and she’d started speaking gibberish in a weird hissing voice before collapsing on her desk. The elders had Hiroo take her to another room to rest (much to Daishou’s displeasure) then explained oracles to them. </p><p>Unfortunately, the event had caused them to stay at the Academy much later than usual and Akaashi had wanted to check on Mika before he left, which meant he was extremely late in meeting up with the sirens. The blue sea orb that had glowed so brightly an hour ago weighed heavy in his bag. <em>Please be there</em>, Akaashi thought, <em>Please wait for me.</em></p><p>He yanked his bag off as he shimmied once more through the boulders and into the cave. “I’m here! I’m sorry I’m late!” he called, voice bouncing off the walls. “I would have been here sooner but you’ll never believe what-” he froze as he caught sight of the sullen group bobbing in the water.</p><p>They were huddled around Kiyoko whose arm was being cradled in Suga’s hands. Thick gashes were carved into her skin. They were long and deep with burns around the edges and Akaashi’s stomach dropped, recognizing the pattern of the marks. “Kiyoko-san…”</p><p>“A mage tried to capture her this morning. He wanted her to take him to the gold.” Suga explained shortly as he examined her wounds.</p><p>“I’m fine, Suga. Stop fussing.” Kiyoko said gently.</p><p>“You’re not fine.” Suga said in a more frustrated tone. “They’re not healing like they’re supposed to.”</p><p>“What did he look like?” Akaashi asked, settling himself on the edge of the pool and holding out his hand for her arm. </p><p>She gave it to him and he began muttering a healing spell as she replied, “He was on the shorter side and had freckles and light brown hair. He got upset when I refused to go along with him.” </p><p><em>Sakishima.... No. There was no way. He had no reason to. Why would he-</em> Akaashi forced himself to finish the incantation despite the whirling thoughts in his head. Kiyoko’s wounds sealed themselves leaving behind thin faint scars along her arm. Those wouldn’t heal. That was the price that came with being wounded by magic. </p><p>“Do you know him? Is it that snake Daishou?” Oikawa snarled. </p><p>“No. It’s not Daishou.” Akaashi said. “Don’t worry about him. I’ll deal with him when I see him.” Besides, he needed to know why...</p><p>“I <em>will</em> worry about him. He hurt one of our own.” Suga exclaimed angrily. </p><p>“Yeah don’t take this away from us Kaashi-kun. I want to drown this bastard personally,” the dark smirk plastered on Oikawa’s face screamed <em>danger!</em></p><p>“We’re perfectly capable of dealing with our own problems, Keiji.” Kenma said quietly in his corner and Yamaguchi nodded fiercely.</p><p>“I know, but I think it’d be safer if I dealt with him first.” He couldn’t risk them being put in harm's way again, especially because he knew exactly which spell Sakishima had on her. It was Sakishima’s speciality spell, a creation of his own. If she hadn’t fled when she did,  Kiyoko would be dead. </p><p>...</p><p>The week after the incident, the sirens announced, solemnly, that they would be venturing out to Dateko for their safety. Dateko…  “The City with Iron Walls.”  Most well known for its defense and probably the most secure place in the entire kingdom. It was also ten thousand leagues away from Nohebi.</p><p>Kenma had said there was a safe place for them there, where sailors dared not to go: Andromeda’s Cove. It was hidden within a maze of jagged rocks that would shred ship hulls if they came anywhere near it. It was also far enough from the shore so that passersby wouldn’t stumble upon it. </p><p>Akaashi knew it didn’t matter what he said or how he felt about them leaving. Ultimately, they would be protected at the cove, and all he wanted was for them to be safe. To ask them to stay would be extremely selfish on his part. So he encouraged them to go. </p><p>And that night in his little cottage in the woods, Akaashi mourned the loss of his five wonderful friends. </p><p>	To compensate, he threw himself into his studies, mastering more complicated spells and potions than the elders had asked of him. It helped take his mind off the hurt he felt. His classmates started to notice his quick improvement, casting jealous looks his way whenever he performed a spell correctly on the first try. He once even got a “good” from one of the elders, a form of praise they had never heard before in all their years at the Academy. </p><p>But the thing was, he didn’t care. He didn’t care for praise for just doing his work. He didn’t care that Sakishima scowled every time Akaashi spoke aloud or that Daishou had become increasingly more hostile towards him. He didn’t care that they had started to look at him as a threat that should be eliminated rather than as an equal. He didn’t care because no one else cared. </p><p>The people who <em>had</em> cared about him were either dead or thousands of leagues away. So it didn’t matter how many people hated him or how many compliments he got from the elder mages or how many books he’d read or spells he’d mastered because at the end of the day, Akaashi would wind up in his cottage completely and utterly alone.</p><p>...</p><p>A year and a half later, he graduated from the Academy, feeling even more empty inside than he ever had. He remembered that he’d once been excited to leave the Academy because then he could spend more time with the sirens but now the celebrations meant nothing to him.</p><p>	“Cheer up, Akaashi!” Numai clapped a hand on his back, which made Akaashi almost drop his glass of mead. “We’ve finished our studies! Let loose a little.”</p><p>	Akaashi let out a noncommittal hum as Numai went to grab another beer. The six Academy graduates were holed up in a small tavern with greying wood, various stuffed animal heads lining the walls, and a couple of rusty chandeliers. Akaashi hated it here, but it was probably the warmest place that was open at this time of night. Why did he let Numai convince him to go out drinking with them… Probably, he reasoned, because all he would have done is gone home and read a book (although that sounded preferable to the racket that was going on in the tavern). </p><p>Akaashi gazed into the eyes of a large moose head hanging over the bar. <em>What a beautiful creature.</em> The moose blinked back slowly at him and let out a low bellow. It was a kind of small, sad noise that made Akaashi turn away, feeling sick. And they just <em>had </em>to enchant the creatures to move after they were already dead. </p><p>He hated this place. </p><p>He ignored Sakishima and Hiroo, who were a little ways away casting spells at a lion’s head and making it roar as its nose elongated into a trunk. Instead, his eyes landed on Daishou and Mika who were sitting comfortably in a corner surrounded by pillows they’d conjured up. </p><p>Akaashi had noticed Mika was quieter these days and when she did talk, she snapped angrily at whoever was closest, usually Daishou. Her work during her lessons had also become sloppier and there were times where she barely seemed awake. The gift of prophecy must have been taking a heavy toll on her. </p><p>But, in this moment, with her head in the crook of Daishou’s neck, she seemed to be at peace. Daishou’s eyes were closed, head resting on the wall behind him, but they fluttered open when he felt Akaashi’s gaze on him. Mika noticed him too and motioned for Akaashi to join them. </p><p>Akaashi settled himself on one of the pillows and placed his undrunk mead on the low table in between them. They didn’t speak at first, which was alright with Akaashi since he hadn’t had much to say to Daishou. It’s not like they’d been getting along in recent years. Mika, however, cleared her throat and looked at Daishou pointedly. </p><p>He sighed resolutely, “Mika-chan and I were offered to work with the elders. They asked us to extend the invitation to you as well. We start tomorrow.” His tone suggested he would rather set himself on fire before working with Akaashi and, if Akaashi was being honest, the feeling was mutual.</p><p>“Thank you for passing on the message but I don’t think I’d want to work for them,” and Akaashi could tell the implied “nor with you” was noted.</p><p>“But why not?” Mika shifted off of Daishou’s shoulder to stare at him, “They’re the best mages in all of Nohebi! And the three of us would have so much fun together. I mean I know we’ve had a bit of a falling out but it could be a chance to reconnect!”</p><p>A bit of a falling out was an understatement. Clearly, Mika hadn’t noticed his and Daishou’s friendship was basically nonexistent at this point, and the only reason they tolerated each other was because of Mika. Not wanting to mention all this at the moment, Akaashi came up with a different excuse. “I just think I wouldn’t enjoy it as much. Learning from the elders and working for the elders are two different things.”</p><p>“I know but Akaashi pleaseee. I really think this is a good opportunity for all of us.”</p><p>“Mika if he doesn’t want to, then he doesn’t have to.” Daishou grumbled.</p><p>She shook her head, “Akaashi, listen.” She leaned in and Akaashi followed her example, “They’re planning something. Something big. Something that will change the course of history. I’ve seen it. They’re going to rebuild this world into something greater. And we <em>need</em> to be at their side when they do.” There was a small gleam in her eyes that Akaashi had never seen before. It was calculated and hungry. Snake-like... </p><p>His brows furrowed. She had changed more than he’d thought. When had this started? Was it because of her long meetings with the elders? The Mika he knew was friendly, forgiving, selfless. She’d balanced out Daishou’s numerous unsavory qualities and always kept him in check. What had the elders done to her? And what would they do to <em>him </em>if he accepted this position at the Academy?</p><p>“I’m sorry, Mika. I have to reject the offer.” she frowned deeply and he noticed a dark flush blooming on her face. Akaashi took that as his cue to leave. “I should go.”</p><p>“Akaashi!”</p><p>He left the tavern quickly, trudging down the main road before ducking under the cover of the trees. So the elders were planning something…. Something big… But what? Did he really want to know? </p><p>The crescent moon lit up the night as he trudged through the thick woods, hearing branches snap under his feet as he went. The Nohebi elders had never rubbed him the right way and any plan they might be concocting was something Akaashi wanted to stay the hell away from.  </p><p>A part of him, a small part, could guess what they wanted. The elders had always been power-hungry. It showed in their open disgust and disdain for the King. But Akaashi knew it would take a legion of highly skilled mages for them to take over the kingdom as the king was well protected by more than just guards. </p><p>He trotted down the familiar path to his small cottage at the edge of Nohebi’s borders. Well whatever their plan was, he didn’t want to waste time worrying about it. He’d made his choice and he was going to stick with it. It wasn’t his job to prevent whatever the elders had planned. </p><p>He stepped inside his cottage, casting a quick spell to light all of his candles at once. They lit up a small wooden dining table with two chairs, a couple of large bookcases, a chest full of potion ingredients, a burgundy couch, and a soft but lumpy mattress. Akaashi breathed in the warm smoky smell of the fire as he pulled off his cloak. </p><p>
  <em>They’re going to rebuild this world into something greater.</em>
</p><p><em>No.</em> <em>I’m not going to worry about it. </em>Akaashi thought as he got ready for bed. <em>I’m not going to worry about it. </em>He slid under his covers and extinguished the lights with the flick of his finger.<em> It’s nothing. It’s <span class="u">nothing</span>. </em>And he kept reminding himself that until he finally fell asleep. </p><p>...</p><p>For six months, Akaashi pushed any form of worry or anxiety about Mika’s words from his brain. And for those six months, he’d been... fine... He always made sure to stay extremely busy so that his brain wouldn’t let him think about anything. </p><p>He’d built a vegetable garden in his yard. He’d rearranged the interior of his house about a dozen times and learned how to cook without the use of magic. He sorted through all his books, putting them in alphabetical order then reverse alphabetical order then contemplated organizing them by subject. And then he’d got bored of housework and began to experiment with more transformation crystals and working on a couple of potions he’d never tried before. </p><p>“Phantasmagoria.” Akaashi read one night, “a potion that will cause the drinker to experience severe hallucinations. Difficulty level: Advanced. Brewing time: Three days.” </p><p>He scanned the list of ingredients and his eyes landed on “2 Hippocampus scales.” <em>Damn.</em> He was pretty sure he was out.</p><p>Sighing, he closed his potion book with a swipe of his finger, “I guess I’ll just ask Kenma to-” </p><p>
  <em>Oh… Right. </em>
</p><p>Akaashi suddenly didn’t feel like making potions anymore. He glanced at his bag, which was hanging on the wall. He still carried the sea orb wherever he went, just as a reminder. </p><p>
  <em>I wonder if it still glows?</em>
</p><p>He strode over to dig it out of his bag. The pale blue orb sat in the palm of his hand, muted in color. Of course, it wouldn’t glow. It hadn’t glowed in years. Akaashi strode to his window, pulling it open and letting the light from the full moon bounce off of the orb. It shone brighter but it wasn’t the same. </p><p>“I wonder what amazing adventures you’re having without me.” he said as if they could hear him through the orb. Oikawa’s probably practicing some new shanty he heard when he was by the taverns and Kenma’s trying to get him to shut up. Kiyoko and Yamaguchi were probably taking care of the baby sea creatures there. And Suga… Akaashi shook his head, amused. Suga’s probably yelling at another unsuspecting litterer. He could almost see him, face red and shaking his fists at the perpetrator before he decided to drown them.</p><p>There was a polite knocking at his door. The small smile that had formed at the thought of his friends slid off of his face and he shoved the orb in his pocket. Akaashi’s mind worked quickly. Whoever it was obviously saw his lights were lit so he couldn’t pretend he wasn’t at home. </p><p>“Just a minute!” he called. Now the question was who. Akaashi didn't willingly give out his address to just anyone. Only a select number of people knew where his cottage was and he really hoped it wasn’t any of them. He swung his door open and was greeted by the five faces he really didn’t want to see right now. Hiroo, Sakishima, Numai, Mika, and, at the head of the pack, stood </p><p>“Daishou.”</p><p>“Hello, Akaashi.” Daishou grinned, “We need to talk.”</p><p>…</p><p>“Are you sure the others don’t want to come inside.” Akaashi asked, placing two mugs of hot tea on the table.</p><p>“They’ll be fine.” Daishou waved him off, “Besides, I think it’s easier to talk between old friends.”</p><p>Akaashi grimaced, “I wouldn’t say we’re friends. You burnt that bridge a long time ago.”</p><p>“Tsk! <em>Akaashi</em>. You’re still mad at that?” Daishou rolled his eyes, “It was ages ago.”</p><p>“It was only two years ago.” Akaashi grumbled into his tea.</p><p>“I’ve told you. We were just trying to see if she knew where it was. I swear I told Sakishima not to hurt her. But you know him. He gets… ” Daishou smirked, “irritated.”</p><p>Akaashi scowled at him, “Just tell me what you want before I hex you.”</p><p>Daishou, clearly glad to have riled Akaashi up, clasped his hands together. “Mika had a vision concerning you.”</p><p>“I’m flattered.” Akaashi said dryly.</p><p>“She said you’ll bring about the kingdom’s ruin.” </p><p>That made Akaashi pause. He honestly didn’t know what he had expected Daishou to say but it hadn’t been that. And he’d said it so casually as if it wasn’t a monumental piece of information. “Daishou, what are you talking about?”</p><p>“I’m talking about the kingdom, Akaashi,” his smirk grew wider, “I want it. The elders want it and it’s your destiny to help us take it from that idiot of a king.”</p><p>“Just think about it,” he continued, his snake eyes watching Akaashi carefully from across the kitchen table, a forgotten mug of tea in front of him. “If we teamed up… the amount of power we would have. We’d be unstoppable.”</p><p>	“You don’t need me for whatever you have planned, Daishou. You have your team of goonies outside and you have Mika.” Daishou stiffened a little at the mention of her. “Besides, you ranked second in our class,” Akaashi reasoned. </p><p>“Yes but, Akaashi,” Daishou leaned in, grinning, “you ranked first.”</p><p> “This is a joke, right? A test?” The other shook his head, “Daishou, this is insane. What the hell are you thinking?”</p><p>“Look. While everyone’s got their heads turned looking for that blasted gold, we,” he gestured between the two of them, “could help ourselves to something that’s a hundred times worth that. Can you imagine how much power we’d hold sitting on those thrones? We’d be kings, Akaashi. Kings!”</p><p>Akaashi sat there in stunned silence. He’d known Daishou since they were children; they’d entered Academy together. While he’d always known that Daishou was rather untrustworthy and manipulative and <em>extremely</em> difficult to get along with, he never thought he’d actually consider doing something like this. </p><p><em>I guess the elders have changed you too…</em> </p><p>“You’re right. We would be kings, ” he was surprised at how calm he sounded considering the chaos that was going on inside his head. He could see the appeal of being a king. He could do whatever he wanted. He could be able to travel outside of Nohebi for the first time in his life. He could grow an abundance of crops for poor towns and heal the sick and injured in masses. He could outlaw things like hunting for sport and littering and people would have to obey him because he was king. He could visit the sirens every day… </p><p>“You’re serious about this.”</p><p>There was a hungry glint in Daishou’s eyes. “Dead serious.”</p><p>And yet.. Akaashi knew that if the elders were all behind this, then there was no chance that he was going to be able to do all that. They would want complete control over the kingdom. <em>They</em> would be the kings, not him and Daishou. And he knew that they would stop at nothing to get to that goal. Any man, woman, or child that got in their way would be disposed of. Innocent lives would be taken; there was no question about that. Was it really worth it?</p><p>“I can’t help you,” Akaashi said bluntly. </p><p>“Akaashi-”</p><p>“I don’t care what Mika saw,” he tried to keep his voice as level as he could, “I left the Academy for a reason, Daishou. I’m not interested in following the elders’ power-hungry agenda anymore. Magic is supposed to help others, not conquer a kingdom.” It was a hard and stubborn refusal and Daishou knew it, his grin turning sour. He knew Akaashi well enough to know when he made a decision, it was one that was well thought out. It would take a miracle to change his mind.</p><p>Nevertheless, Daishou still asked, “Are you sure?” And Akaashi suddenly became aware of how stiff the two of them had become. “You know I’m not going to let this go easily. I will make sure that you regret it.”</p><p>Akaashi forced himself to maintain eye contact with those narrow slit-like pupils, “I’m sure,” he got up and Daishou followed suit. “Thank you for coming by. I’ll see you out.”</p><p>They didn’t move, both highly aware of what was going on in the other’s mind. Daishou sighed, “I really didn’t want to have to do this, Akaashi.” </p><p>
  <em>Liar. You’ve wanted to do this ever since I beat you in our first duel.</em>
</p><p>Daishou extended his arm, his palm glowing bright green, and his staff rocketed into his hand. Without a moment's hesitation, he brought his staff down and green fire exploded from its tip, heading straight for Akaashi.</p><p>Quickly, Akaashi cast a shield spell, crossing his arms in front of his face, and the fire streamed around him but never touched him. He could see Daishou’s indignant scowl through the emerald flames. He then released his arms in a circular motion and the flames turned bright blue and spun to Daishou’s side of the room.</p><p>That should buy him some time. A half a second at most. </p><p>
  <em>Okay. What are my options? Think Akaashi… </em>
</p><p>He could try Option A: escape through the door. But the others were probably waiting for him to take that route and they weren’t exactly weak. He’d seen how they fought when they were all at the Academy together. A five against one battle isn’t one he would win.</p><p>He could go with Option B: fight Daishou. He could definitely take Daishou, but eventually, he’d call for backup from the others (see Option A). </p><p>Option C was risky. It was tucked snugly in his right pocket. He had been working on this transformation crystal for a while now but hadn’t yet tested it on the account that so many things could go wrong. Plus it would only be good for one transformation… However, the chances of him surviving were about 60% higher than the other two options. </p><p>All he had to do was make it to the window. Half a second was all he needed to make the decision. Besides, he didn’t actually have longer than that because Daishou had already redirected the flames, which were now consuming Akaashi’s bookshelves.</p><p>Akaashi dashed to the window, avoiding another blast of green fire. He shoved his hand into his pocket and pulled out the crystal. He rubbed it as hard as he could, balanced himself on the window frame, and muttered, “Mori-fukurou,” before he leapt out the window. </p><p>The last thing he heard was Daishou shrieking, “You can’t run from your destiny forever, Akaashi!” as he soared over the treetops and into the night.</p><p>...</p><p>Owls are acclaimed for being wise creatures. Unfortunately for Akaashi, by the time he was flying over the forest that bordered Nohebi, all his stupid bird brain could think of was the mice that scurrying somewhere on the ground. He had to concentrate hard on his destination.</p><p><em> Dateko.</em> Getting there would be no easy feat. “The City With Iron Walls” was far; he estimated that it would take him a month or two to get there. The distance wasn’t even the most troublesome part. He’d barely gotten the hang of flying and had to constantly remind himself to flap his wings every few seconds to keep himself above the horizon. It was exhausting having to keep track of everything while also ignoring the urge to swoop down and catch one of the mice in his beak. <em>Am I even going in the right direction?</em></p><p>It took him less time than he thought, although he could admit he’d pushed himself rather hard these past few weeks. From time to time, he’d stop in nearby towns, but he’d never stayed in a town for more than a day. He would huddle in the shadows of a tree, rest, and trying not to think about what he had eventually succumbed to eat. <em>Why did owls have to be carnivores?</em> And, occasionally, when he had trouble falling asleep, he'd watch the townspeople with a vague interest. </p><p>Nohebi was packed to the brim with mages and Akaashi seldom left the main city, save for the mages’ annual retreat to the shrines. Even then, the only things he and his fellow mages came upon were trees and ruins. So non-magical folk intrigued him. </p><p>Instead of magic, they used swords to defend themselves and created fires out of sticks and the sun. They did things in a tedious fashion, washing their clothes by hand, and drying it by sunlight. The very last town he observed was celebrating the summer solstice and all day, they sang and laughed and danced and crowned their children with marigolds. It was lovely to watch.</p><p>...</p><p>He lost a day in between his departure from the last town and his arrival to Dateko. He was so hungry he’d passed out, camouflaged in the crook of a tree. He had been purposefully starving himself, hating the experience of hunting and killing small animals under his beak. </p><p>But later that night, when he saw those giant metal walls, he felt invigorated. This wasn’t how he’d wanted to visit the city for the first time, stuck in a fluffy body that closely resembled a feather duster, but at this point, he couldn’t care less. <em>Almost there</em>. </p><p>The wall was high but scaleable. He crested it easily despite the dull ache in his wings. The cold sea breeze ruffled his greyish brown feathers as he flew on. </p><p>Dawn was approaching and rays of sunlight hit black and orange sails in the distance. He contemplated first getting to Andromeda’s Cove before he changed back into his human form, but his empty stomach and pounding head said differently. And he’d be damned if he ate another mouse. </p><p>Circling around the coast, he spotted a small dilapidated looking shack that looked like it had been abandoned for years. <em>Perfect. </em>He landed gracefully on top of a large wooden box on the porch and contemplated how he was going to get inside the shack when its door suddenly swung open.</p><p>“-and make sure you eat your vegetables!” an orange mop of hair was saying, back facing him. </p><p>“Nii-chan, you never eat your vegetables!” a small voice called out. Another orange head, smaller this time, popped into frame, little arms wrapped around the boy’s waist. “But I’ll do it just for you.”</p><p>“You better head out before they leave you behind,” another voice joked, and the boy in the doorway squeaked in fright. He quickly pressed a kiss to his sister’s head and bounded down the stairs, waving as he went. </p><p>Akaashi watched him curiously as he headed down to the docks. There was a weird aura about the boy like he’d been in close contact with dark magic… Akaashi shook his head. Probably just his tired bird brain making things up.</p><p>“Bokuto-san look!” The little girl was pointing at him, brown eyes wide. Akaashi noticed how she too gave off the same strange aura. “Look! It’s an owl! And in the daytime too!”</p><p>“WHAT??” the other voice (now very loud and excited) came from inside the house. Heavy footsteps came barrelling to the door and Akaashi braced himself as the door swung wide open. A man emerged looking around wildly. </p><p>He was tall, muscular, probably only a year older than Akaashi, with white hair streaked with grey. <em>Strange,</em> Akaashi thought, cocking his head to the side. <em>Were all the citizens of Dateko strange?</em> First the weird vibes from the orange-haired siblings and now this guy? All Akaashi wanted was to turn back into a human and go to sleep. Round golden eyes found him still perched on the wooden box and the man started...cooing?</p><p>“Hello there, Owl-kun!” Akaashi bristled at the nickname, but the man didn’t seem to notice, taking a small cautious step forward. “My name is Koutarou and this is Natsu.” Akaashi didn’t move, unsure of what to do.</p><p>“Do you think he’ll let me pet him, Bokuto-san?” the little girl, Natsu said, quietly from behind Bokuto.</p><p>“I don’t know. Let’s ask him.” Bokuto whispered back, not taking his gaze off of Akaashi. It was kind of unnerving. “Owl-kun, will you let Hinata-kun pet you? She’s been having a hard day today.”</p><p>Akaashi saw more clearly now the tear stains on her cheeks, and, remembering her brother’s goodbye, felt a pang of sympathy. He fluttered down from the box, watching as both flinched at the movement, then hopped over to them. He knew it wasn't typical owl behavior, but if this sad little girl wanted to pet him… well it was the least he could do before taking off.</p><p>Bokuto’s eyes, already wide, seemed to grow even bigger and he and Natsu knelt down slowly until they were about eye level to Akaashi.</p><p>Natsu reached out a hand and Bokuto murmured, “Just pet him once. It might stress him out if you do it more. And be careful you don’t get too close to his beak.” She nodded and stroked the feathers on top of Akaashi’s head before retracting her hand. Akaashi gave a small hoot just to see a smile bloom on her face. </p><p>Beside her, Bokuto mirrored the expression, pure joy and wonder sparkling in his eyes. It gave Akaashi a warm feeling in the pit of his stomach. He found himself wishing he could make people look at him like that every day. </p><p>Bokuto reached out a hand too but Akaashi had had enough. Tired, exhausted, and extremely hungry, he nipped Bokuto’s finger, hearing a pained hiss as he took flight. He’d find another place in the city where he could comfortably change back. Then he could eat.</p><p>There was a yell somewhere behind him.</p><p>“BYE OWL-KUN!!!” and a smaller voice echoed “Bye-bye!”</p><p>If birds could smile, Akaashi would have the biggest grin on his face.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>The short Bokuaka scene at the end of this was literally my favorite thing to write so far. They're so cute and Natsu 🥺 I can't wait to write more about them!!</p><p>Next chapter: Oikawa and Seijoh</p><p>If you guys have any questions or just want to talk about the chapter, feel free to comment down below!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Oikawa Tooru</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>“What’s he doing all the way out there?”<br/>“Shipwrecked probably.”<br/>“But there’s no ship and he doesn’t look like he’s hurt.”<br/>“Oi! Are you hurt?”<br/>“Maybe he’s in shock.”<br/>“He wouldn’t be able to swim if he was in shock, Kyoutani.”<br/>“We should really go out to get him through.”<br/>“No way! What if it's a trap?”<br/>“Kindaichi-”</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank you for all your kudos and lovely comments on the last chapter! They really brightened my day!</p><p>Warning: there's some mention of "intentional drowning" in here so if you would like to avoid that part skip from "Why am I upset?" to "At this point" (dw nobody important dies)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Oikawa had been called a lot of things in his life. Handsome. Genius. Talented. You’d think all the compliments would go straight to his head and sometimes it did. However, he usually spent more time trying to prove to himself that he was worthy of those words. Like today, for example. </p><p>He was half hiding, half lounging on a boulder, lazily watching fish swim past him, as he eavesdropped on a conversation between his friends. Beyond the coral separating them, Yamaguchi was lying on his stomach, playing with a blade of seaweed. His green spotted tail waved with water’s current. Suga sat perched on a nearby rock, dusting the sand with his long butterfly fins. Neither of them had caught sight of Oikawa and he gave himself a mental pat on the shoulder for being an excellent spy.</p><p>“I just don’t understand why I can’t do it yet though,” Yamaguchi was saying, “I mean you and Oikawa-san could already do it by the time you were my age. Even Kenma and Shimizu-san can and they barely talk!” </p><p>“Tadashi,” Suga soothed, “It’ll be alright. You’re probably just a late bloomer.”</p><p>Oikawa almost snorted. “<em>Probably.” Huh. Even Mr. Refreshing wasn’t so confident in Yama-kun’s abilities. </em></p><p>“What if I never bloom though?” Yamaguchi continued, dejectedly. “What if I’m stuck sounding like a tortured dolphin for the rest of my life?”</p><p>The tone of his voice tugged at Oikawa’s heartstrings. Yamaguchi was one of the sweetest fish he’s ever met. It was like the poor boy didn’t have a malicious bone in his body. He was always around to help Suga untangle animals from the trash in the ocean and laughed at everyone’s jokes, even if they weren’t that funny. </p><p>He was even nice enough to remind Oikawa to take a break from his siren duties before he overexerted himself again (one time he almost lost his voice because he was hellbent on beating the record for most sailors drowned in a day). All in all, Oikawa would die for the kid, and that‘s why it hurt to hear him so sad and miserable, especially after everything he’d been through.</p><p>Suga seemed to be scrambling for some comforting words. “I heard some humans find dolphin sounds appealing.”</p><p>“I should have asked Akaashi if he had anything to help before we left Nohebi,” Yamaguchi whined.</p><p>Oikawa scoffed, shook his head, and got up from his hiding spot, “I think you just need some practice, Yama-kun.” Yamaguchi jumped at the sound of Oikawa’s voice, paling as he swam towards them. </p><p>Suga didn’t seem phased at all and patted the sand between him and Yamaguchi with his silvery tail. There was a mischievous twinkle in his eyes that never failed to appear whenever he knew Oikawa was planning something. It reminded OIkawa of the trouble they’d get into in their schooling days. “What did you have in mind, Tooru?” </p><p>“Well,” Oikawa flicked his long turquoise fin back and forth, sand shifting underneath him. “There’s a ship that’s been traveling along Western Sea these past few days. They should be about ten leagues from here by now if I remember correctly.” </p><p>“Merchants?”</p><p>Oikawa shook his head, his hair swishing in the water. “Pirates,” he grinned. </p><p>Suga’s eyes lit up at once. “Is it--”</p><p>“Calm down.” Oikawa waved him away. “It’s not your precious captain.” Suga deflated and Oikawa rolled his eyes. “Honestly, I’m surprised you still care that much about him. You met him once. Three years ago. There are other fish in the sea.”</p><p>Suga flushed. Oikawa couldn’t tell if it was from anger or embarrassment. “We’re getting off-topic. You were going to tell us your plan to help Tadashi?” </p><p>Yamaguchi turned pink and muttered, “It’s okay. Don’t worry about it.”</p><p>“Nonsense! This is very important!” Yamaguchi looked like he wanted to disappear into the ocean floor. “You see, Yama-kun can sing for these sad lonely pirates and we’ll be able to figure out how effective he is on them.”</p><p>“That might actually work...” Suga turned his hazel eyes on Yamaguchi. “What’d you think, Tadashi? You’ve never sung in front of humans before. Wanna try it out?”</p><p>Yamaguchi stared at the seaweed in his hands, avoiding the two pairs of eyes on him. His multicolored tail swished from side to side in rapid anxiety-filled movements. After a while, he said, “What if they laugh at me?” </p><p>Suga frowned and began to speak, but Oikawa silenced him with a look. “Yama-kun~ look at me.” Yamaguchi peered up at him through his long strands of green hair. A dark shadow passed over Oikawa’s face.“If those dirty sailors so much as let out a chuckle, Suga and I will make sure that ship is emptied before nightfall.” </p><p>Suga nodded in approval and Yamaguchi looked a little bit more relaxed.</p><p>
  <strong>...</strong>
</p><p>Oikawa would be lying if he said that he hadn’t been watching this particular pirate ship for some time. Seijoh was big and robust. Its dark wooden deck contrasted heavily with its turquoise and white flags. The jolly roger hung near the stern, blowing gaily in the breeze. He’d first thought that they were headed to Andromeda’s Cove and wanted to delay them as quickly as possible. But then, after a day, the ship turned northward much to Oikawa’s relief. </p><p>Oikawa still took it upon himself to check up on the crew. It was honestly less about his suspicion and more about the fact that he found the crew was highly entertaining. He observed them so often that he'd come to learn most of their names and the names he didn’t learn he just assigned nicknames to (like he always did). </p><p>Every day, he looked forward to seeing the new pranks Makki and Mattsun had instore for the crew, their target usually being Mad Dog-chan. Oikawa loved to laugh, along with the rest of the crew, at Turnip-kun when he misplaced his sword for the hundredth time. He loved listening to them shriek sea shanties into the night, cradling empty bottles of ale in their hands. Oikawa even loved watching Kunimi sweep the deck with his usual apathetic expression, which was strangely calming after all the chaos.</p><p> A couple of hours before Yamaguchi and Suga were scheduled to meet up with him, Oikawa surfaced slightly to observe the crew for quite possibly the last time.</p><p><em>It would be a shame if they had to die because they laughed at Yama-kun’s singing,</em> he thought, as he watched Watori untangle some fishing net, <em>I mean I’d still do it of course. Nobody messes with my Yama-kun and gets away with it.</em> However, he had to admit he’d grown strangely attached to the crew despite never actually interacting with them. He almost regretted the promise he’d made Yama-kun. Almost.</p><p>“Hey! What’re you doing down there?” </p><p><em>Makki.</em> Oikawa thought, piecing the voice to the pink-haired pirate who was presently leaning off the side of the ship to get a good look at him.<em> Fuck, he’s not supposed to see me</em>. He was just about to dive back under the cover of the water when another voice rang out.</p><p> “Hiro, get off the ropes. You know Kyoutani’s still looking for an excuse to throw you off this ship.” </p><p>
  <em>Mattsun.</em>
</p><p>“But Issei, look! There’s someone in the water.” Makki pointed straight at him. “They might need help,” he addressed Oikawa again, half shouting to him, “Do you need me to send a boat out to get you?”</p><p>At this, the whole crew seemed to stop whatever they were doing to come to look at the boy in the water. </p><p>Now Oikawa was used to attention. He had garnered a lot from being pretty and smart and successful at his job. But this? <em>This</em> gawking made him uncomfortable. He suddenly understood why Kenma shrunk sometimes when he talked to people. </p><p>“What’s he doing all the way out there?” Turnip-kun asked.</p><p>“Shipwrecked probably,” said a bored Kunimi.</p><p>“But there’s no ship and he doesn’t look like he’s hurt,” came Watori’s voice.</p><p>“Oi! Are you hurt?” Makki shouted again.</p><p>“Maybe he’s in shock.” Mad Dog-chan grumbled.</p><p>“He wouldn’t be able to swim if he was in shock, Kyoutani,” Yahaba called from the helm.</p><p>“We should really go out to get him through,” Watori said.</p><p>“No way! What if it's a trap?” Turnip-kun said, alarmed.</p><p>“Kindaichi-”</p><p>“What’s going on here?” a deep voice rumbled. Oikawa tilted his head in confusion. He hadn’t heard that voice before. The crowd fell silent and parted to let a surly-looking man through. He had dark spikey hair, tanned skin, and an air of authority he wore proudly. A navy blue coat hung around his shoulders allowing the thin strip of tan muscle to still be visible beneath it. </p><p>If Oikawa was screwed before, he definitely was screwed now. Seijoh’s captain was hot. Way too hot. He’d have to apologize to Suga for teasing him so much about his crush on The Karasuno’s captain because what the fuck? They made humans like this? </p><p>Why did his cheeks feel warm? <em>Stop that. </em>He scolded as he caught himself wishing the captain’s shirt dipped just a <em>little</em> bit lower. <em>He’s a <span class="u">pirate</span> captain, Tooru. Stop!</em> </p><p>“Captain Iwaizumi,” Turnip-kun stammered, cheeks pink with a sudden embarrassment, “t-there’s someone in the water. He looks like he needs help.” </p><p>Captain Iwaizumi raked his eyes over the surrounding area and Oikawa felt himself shiver slightly as the captain’s sharp olive green eyes landed on him. <em>Enough.</em> The amount of power that man already had over him was unfair. <em>I’m always the one in charge. Always.</em> He needed to take this Iwaizumi down a peg immediately. And he knew just how to do it.</p><p><em>“Do</em> you need help?” the captain asked gruffly.</p><p>“No,” Oikawa replied, forcing down his nervousness with a bright smile, “just going for a swim. Would you like to join me Iwa-chan~?” He proudly watched the captain’s face flushed a dark red and heard snickers from the crew. </p><p>“Get lost before I run you over with my ship,” Iwa-chan growled.</p><p>“The water’s perfect,” Oikawa lilted.</p><p>“Go fuck yourself.”</p><p>“I think it would be easier if you fucked me.”</p><p>Makki and Mattsun burst out laughing and Oikawa could almost see the steam billowing from the captain’s ears. <em>Mission accomplished.</em> Now Iwa-chan was looking too flustered to be intimidating. “Enough!” the captain barked at his hysterical crew, “Get back to work,”</p><p>“Aw but, sir, he seems nice,” Mattsun said. </p><p>“Yeah, I like him. Can we keep him? He’d be a great addition to the crew, don’t cha think?” Makki elbowed Mattsun, who nodded, and they grinned mischievously at their captain. Oikawa beamed at his words. </p><p>They liked him! Well, everyone liked him but these people were different. They were people he actually <em>wanted </em>to like him. And the fact that they did--</p><p>“He’s an attention whore and a waste of our time.” the captain said as he glowered at Makki and Mattsun. “He isn’t fit to lick my boots, much less set foot on this ship. The shithead could drown right now and I couldn’t care less. And neither should you.”</p><p>
  <em>Oh.</em>
</p><p>Oikawa felt the smile on his face slide right off. <em>Oh...</em> The world dimmed a little. The ocean wasn’t as blue, the sails on the Seijoh dulled into grey. Everything--his limbs, the air, gravity--<em>everything</em> was suddenly very heavy and he felt himself being pulled back into the water.</p><p>“Hey!” he heard someone aboard the ship yell as he sank under the waves. He let himself sink a little lower, just enough so his tail wouldn’t breach the water before he swam away. He didn’t know which direction he was going and he didn’t care. Because Oikawa had been called a lot of things in his life, but nothing had ever hurt him as badly as Iwaizumi’s words did.</p><p>…</p><p><em>Why am I upset?</em> he thought, as he pulled a struggling man beneath the waters. He was <em>the</em> Oikawa Tooru, master seducer of the seas. He could make even the most stubborn men dive happily into the sea just by humming a note. Not even singing! Humming! Not to mention every siren he’d run into was in awe of his abilities and marveled at how lucky he was to be graced with not only a beautiful voice but stunning good looks. </p><p><em>Stupid Iwa-chan</em>. Why couldn’t he see that Oikawa was <em>clearly</em> a catch? Was he not pretty enough? Not charming enough? Maybe he wasn’t Iwa-chan’s type? </p><p>Wait. No. That couldn’t be it. Oikawa was everyone’s type. </p><p>Maybe if he had sung for him? <em>Ugh. Stupid Iwa-chan. </em>What Oikawa really wanted, above all else was revenge. Nobody--<em>nobody</em>--speaks to him like that and gets away with it.He wanted to make Iwa-chan eat his words, humiliate him in the best possible way. Singing for him and drowning him would be too easy. Besides, Oikawa liked a challenge. </p><p>Speaking of. </p><p>He tightened his grip on the man in his arms, ignoring the fact that the coarse dark hair scratching his face reminded him of a certain rude yet unfairly hot captain. The man thrashed but Oikawa held him tight as he dragged him deeper into the depths of the ocean. He could already feel the man weakening, his squirming becoming more sporadic as water filled his lungs. </p><p>“I’m going to make you pay, Iwa-chan,” Oikawa muttered as the man went limp in his arms. </p><p>The last bubbles of air floated from his victim’s mouth and, when they hit the surface of the water, burst.</p><p>…</p><p>At this point, he was upset that he was <em>still</em> upset. It had been hours since he’d been spotted by Seijoh and Captain Iwa-chan. The sun had already sunk below the horizon and yet here Oikawa was moping. And over a pirate captain too? <em>Ugh. Who am I? Suga?</em> He knew he shouldn’t have let this affect him so much. He’d only drowned what? Two sailors since his encounter with Seijoh? An all-time low. </p><p>He was wasting time. He could be doing something more productive like practicing those songs he heard Mad Dog-chan humming a couple of days ago when he’d thought no one was listening. <em>Or</em> he could tangle Seijoh’s nets and make them spend hours undoing all the knots that he would have expertly done. </p><p>Although… he was certain that Iwa-chan would just make the crew untangle it themselves and the crew was never his target. <em>They</em> had actually liked him whereas their captain--</p><p>Oikawa grimaced and leaned back against the smooth rock, examining his spade-shaped tail. Green, blue, and just a hint of yellow were separated by thick black wavy lines. Sure it wasn’t as shimmery and delicate as Suga’s silvery tail but it was vibrant and bold and matched Oikawa’s personality perfectly. </p><p>If only he could trade them for legs, then he could-- He sat up quickly. <em>Of course! </em></p><p>He propelled himself back to the siren colony, weaving his way deftly through the maze of jagged rocks and forests of seaweed, arriving at the cove. He didn’t even notice Kenma’s giant golden eyes watching him from behind his ruby red tail as he zoomed past, creating a flurry of bubbles behind him.</p><p> He found it in his room, hidden away in a small nook: a little ornate box where he kept his most precious items including a tooth from his very first victim and the small sea stone that they had used to use to communicate with Akaashi. </p><p>The box itself was also special, even though it was something that Oikawa had found on the ocean floor ages ago. It was silver and stamped with the crescent moon. Oikawa opened it and, out of force of habit, reread the inscription on the inside: </p><p>
  <em>Akiteru, </em>
</p><p><em>May the moon and the stars guide you back home soon.</em> </p><p>
  <em> Love, </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Okaasan and Kei</em>
</p><p>It was a sweet message, one that Oikawa found strangely comforting every time he read it. Humans were so filled with hope.</p><p>He turned his attention back to what he was here for: the light blue crystal Akaashi had given him back in Nohebi. How many times had he used it these past years? </p><p>Let’s see. There was the first time where they all tried out their legs and Akaashi spent hours teaching them how to walk. Oikawa had fallen on his ass at least three times and it hurt like hell. </p><p>The second time he’d used it was when he wanted to explore Dateko and ended up watching some beefy man with crazy hair teach children how to swordfight. That had been a good day, not just because he got to ogle the man’s very exquisite set of muscles for hours but he’d also discovered something called milk bread. It was soft, sweet, and delicious but turned soggy and salty when he tried to bring some back home. There were days he wished he’d never turned back into a siren just so he could eat that delicious bread one last time.</p><p>He should still have one last use before the crystal lost its enchantment. All he had to do was find it somewhere in this box and then he could use it to get revenge on Iwa-chan. He smirked at the thought, his mind running through all the tortuous scenarios he would put Iwa-chan through. </p><p>All he had to do was transform and get aboard the ship (he’d have to follow them to their next port) and work his magic from there. Victory was near. He could almost see the utter humiliation in Iwa-chan’s eyes as he begged Oikawa to love him and then he’d--</p><p>“Oikawa-san!” </p><p>He jumped so badly he dropped everything including his box and its contents spilled everywhere. <em>Oh great now I’m clumsy too! Apparently once you meet a pirate captain you lose all your grace and poise. </em>Oikawa scowled.</p><p>“I’m so sorry!” Yamaguchi hurried over to help, picking up the silver box as Oikawa scrambled to gather everything before the water moved them into hard to reach places. “I didn’t mean to scare you. Kenma said you were in here and Suga-san and I have been looking for you everywhere. I thought we were supposed to meet earlier.”</p><p>“I’m sorry Yama-kun,” Oikawa replied, depositing the items into the box. “I just had things to deal with. We’ll do it another time okay?” He frowned looking at the contents of the box. Where was his crystal? He hadn’t exactly seen it before Yamaguchi scared the shit out of him. Maybe it was still somewhere on the floor?</p><p>“Oh… okay.” </p><p>Oikawa heard the disappointment Yamaguchi was clearly trying and failing to hold in. Guilt crept upon him and he stopped his search briefly to focus on his friend. Oikawa had always encouraged Yamaguchi to face his fears and when Yamaguchi had finally been ready, he’d let him down. He could already see the newly found courage diminishing Yamaguchi’s big brown eyes. </p><p>But Yamaguchi quickly moved on before Oikawa could apologize properly. “Whose box is this?”</p><p>“Um, I don’t know. I found it about four years ago.” Oikawa couldn’t help it anymore and tore his eyes away from Yamaguchi to scan the floor for the crystal. “It’s pretty right?”</p><p>“Yeah.” Yamaguchi traced his finger over the inscription. “That was nice of Kei and his mother to give this to him. I hope he made it back home safely.”</p><p>“Me too,” Oikawa said distractedly, now checking around his shell bed for the crystal. He swore he put it back in the box after the last time he’d used it.</p><p> Damn, why did it have to be light blue? It practically blended in with the color of the water. “Yama-kun have you seen my crystal? I think it fell somewhere.”</p><p>They spent the next hour searching for it and came up empty-handed. </p><p><em>Great. Just Great. Fantastic. </em>Oikawa sat on his shell bed and huffed angrily. </p><p>Yamaguchi sunk down next to him, watching him closely. “Oikawa-san, why did you need it? What happened?”</p><p>And all his frustrations came pouring out. </p><p>...</p><p>Venting to Yamaguchi was nice because he was such a good audience. He wasn’t as stone-faced as Kenma or Akaashi or as quiet as Kiyoko. And he didn’t try to fix everything immediately like Suga did. Instead, he listened and gasped in all the right places and was infuriated when Oikawa repeated what the captain had said about him.</p><p>“He’s such a… a…” Yamaguchi’s face puffed up as he struggled to find the words to describe Iwaizumi. Oikawa grinned. He loved seeing Yamaguchi get mad like this. It was kind of cute like he was a little baby pufferfish trying to stab someone for the first time.</p><p>“It’s ok, Yama-kun. Curse him out. You can do it”</p><p>“He’s such a…  jerkwad!”</p><p>Oikawa laughed, “We’ll have work on your name-calling.” Yamaguchi gave him a weak smile. “Anyways, I needed my crystal so I could trick him into falling for me and then break his heart into tiny little pieces.”</p><p>Yamaguchi cocked his head, “But why?”</p><p>“Because revenge is best served cold, Yama-kun.”</p><p>“I mean why go through all that trouble and use your last pair of legs on him when he’s clearly a piece of garbage.” Yamaguchi said, his voice becoming soft, “You shouldn’t put so much effort into someone who clearly doesn’t care about you.”</p><p>He knew Yamaguchi was right and he told him that, assuring the other that he would not be chasing after Iwa-chan at all. But once Yamaguchi had left to look for Suga, Oikawa searched the sandy floors once more because he’d be damned if he was going to let this stinking pirate win. No. Oikawa was not going to lose. Oikawa never lost.</p><p>“Just you wait Iwa-chan,” he grumbled, sifting the sand through his fingers. “I’m going to destroy you.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>In case you are interested in looking it up: Oikawa's tail is based on Betta mahachaiensis! Super cool competitive fish with a beautiful tail.</p><p>Also fun fact: I actually wrote this chapter right after Daichi's but I wanted to add stuff in so I couldn't post it immediately.</p><p>Next chapter: Kageyama, The Karasuno, and the little angry ball of sunshine</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Kageyama Tobio</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The crew of the Karasuno meet their newest addition and set out to sea.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank you for the comments and kudos on the last chapter!! I'm glad you enjoyed it :))</p><p>I wanted to let you guys know that I plan on posting updates every 7-10 days just because I'm still in school and have a mountain of projects. If chapters come out a little later than that, I'll try to let you know in advance :)</p><p>Now onto the chapter!!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“And parry-” a clash of wood on wood, “dodge-” he ducked, “and strike!” he thrust his sword as hard as he could in front of him and felt the tip press in something soft and squishy. His grandfather, Kazuyo, laughed at the determined look the six-year-old had on his face, tapping the wooden sword away from his stomach. “Good job Tobio!”</p><p>Tobio nodded with fierce pride and let out an approving “Hmph!”</p><p>Somewhere in the distance, his mother called for supper. Kazuyo sighed and began cleaning up. He picked up the small wooden sword he only used to play with Tobio and heard an “Again!” behind him. He turned and was greeted by his grandson already in an offensive stance, sword in hand, ready to poke him in the stomach again.</p><p>“We’ll play again tomorrow, Tobio.”</p><p>Tobio’s face fell a little but remained stubborn, “I have to train so I can get big and strong like you.”</p><p>Kazuyo chuckled, “Well you won’t be able to do that if you don’t eat your supper. Come on!” He hoisted his grandson up, who let out a shriek of delight and surprise, and carried him back to their house.</p><p>...</p><p>He was kicked awake. </p><p>“Get up, King. Not all of us can afford beauty sleep,” a snarky voice above him said. “Not that it’s doing you any good.” </p><p>“Fuck off, Tsukishima,” Kageyama growled in its direction. </p><p>“Whatever you say, King.” Footsteps padded back to the door. “Oh, just so you know. Daichi wanted us up and ready ten minutes ago.”</p><p>Kageyama’s eyes snapped open. <em>Shit.</em> He heard a snicker from the doorway as he shot up and scrambled to get dressed. He would never give in to Tsukishima’s tauntings but if the captain was involved… He shuddered at the thought of being on the receiving end of Daichi’s temper. Stumbling slightly as he pulled on his boots, Kageyama exited the crew’s quarters, sheathed his cutlass in its scabbard, and headed to the main deck. </p><p>It was a cool crisp morning. The sun had barely risen over the horizon, casting an orange glow over the ocean. The seagulls had already begun their horrendous squawking and he watched as Tanaka waved his mop around wildly to scatter them, showering a very grumpy-looking Ennoshita with flecks of water. </p><p>Kageyama had always been surprised at how Tanaka and Noya seemed to get away with harassing Ennoshita. He would rather die a slow and painful death than mess with the first mate. </p><p>“Yeah! Take that, you scoundrels!” Tanaka said, brandishing his fist at retreating birds.</p><p>“He’s not here, Kageyama,” Ennoshita said, noticing nervous him scanning the deck for the captain. </p><p>“But Tsukishima-”</p><p>“Daichi, Asahi, Tsukishima, and Noya went out to gather some last-minute supplies before we set sail.” Ennoshita informed him, “He wanted the rest of us to stay here and watch the ship.”</p><p>“So…” <em>Am I in trouble?</em> he wanted to say but instead asked, “What do you need me to do?” </p><p>“Yachi needs help with the rigging,” Tanaka supplied, “Apparently some of the ropes got tangled up in the wind last night. She’s over there,” He swung the mop over Ennoshita’s head to point at a girl across the ship. The first mate snatched the mop from Tanaka’s grasp and started whacking him with it. </p><p>Kageyama decided to excuse himself as Tanaka begged for mercy and strode over to where a stressed-out Yachi sat, coils of knotted rope spilling over her lap. She jumped when his shadow passed over her. </p><p>“O-Oh good morning Kageyama! I’m almost halfway done... I think.” She tugged incessantly at the stubborn rope. “I hope I can finish before Daichi and the others get back otherwise we’ll be behind schedule and then we won’t be able to sail to the next town in time and it’ll all be my fault and Daichi will be so disappointed and he’ll have me thrown off the ship a thousand leagues away from land as punishment and I know I can swim but not for that long and I’ll probably drown or die from starvation before I reach land and I’m too young to die, Kageyama.”</p><p>He stared at her, wondering how she’d managed to get that all out in one breath. It was impressive. He tried to figure out what to say. Asahi was the most comforting person on board. What would he say to Yachi right now? </p><p>“Ergh,” Kageyama murmured, his words coming out stilted, “your hair looks nice today.” That was the right response, right? <em>I mean it was a compliment. She would calm down after a compliment... right?</em></p><p>She paused her work and looked at him strangely. <em>Okay, maybe not.</em> Words were never his forte so he just sat down and pulled the other end of the rope into his lap and started working the knots there. Ennoshita came by a little while later to check on their work before announcing that he and Tanaka were going to do a last-minute sweep of the ship. </p><p>They’d caught stowaways before so they were just being careful this time for the benefit of all parties (Daichi had threatened to dismember the last one, whom they’d found behind one of their barrels). That left Kageyama and Yachi to keep watch over the main deck while the others searched the lower decks. </p><p>“I can finish up the last couple of knots, Kageyama, if you want to help them look around.” Yachi said and Kageyama nodded, straightening up to pace around the deck. The sun was rising steadily now, the orange fading into blue. The polished decks of The Karasuno gleamed under Kageyama’s boots as he strode from bow to stern.</p><p>He’d never thought he’d be a pirate. Growing up, his grandfather had taught him how to fight so that he could be the best swordsman out there, enroll into the naval guard, and defend the kingdom with pride and dignity. He’d trained hard and was titled a prodigy when he was only twelve. “The King of the Sword” they’d called him. </p><p>Then, almost all at once, his grandfather passed away, he’d failed the academic portion of the entrance exam, and received a nasty slash on his back from his opponent during the physical portion. The naval guard didn’t want him after that. First impressions were important and now, his image was tainted with weakness. </p><p>Fuelled by shame, he ran away from home, heard Daichi’s call for members, and joined the crew of The Karasuno. He stopped his pacing and tilted his head upwards to watch the ship's orange and black colors flutter in the early morning wind. The decision to become a pirate was one made with reckless haste but, in the three years that he’d be on this ship, he’d come to accept the life he chose and even enjoyed it (despite the constant presence of Tsukishima). He hoped that the contentment he felt now never changed.</p><p>“AHOY!” a loud annoyed voice rang in his ears and a hand waved in front of his face. He jerked out of his thoughts. <em>Who the fuck-</em> He glanced around then down at a tuft of wavy orange hair. “What’s wrong with you?” the ball of orange said, “I’ve been trying to get your attention for the past couple of minutes.” </p><p>He frowned and the boy in front of him shrunk back in fear. “Who the hell are you and what are you doing on this ship?”</p><p>“I’m Hinata Shoyo. Kinoshita and Narita sent me.”</p><p>“Eh?” Kageyama’s frown deepened. Kinoshita and Narita? The traders in town? Why would they send someone here?</p><p>“Yeah, I’m here for the job opening,” Hinata said, casually. “I was told to look for Captain Sawamura but I can tell you’re not him because you’re too stupid. Where is he?”</p><p>In Kageyama’s mind, it was hard to feel anything but bewildered. This random boy had just walked onto a pirate ship, insulted him, then demanded to see his captain… for a job opening??? </p><p>Kageyama was spared answering by a chorus of heavy boots stomping up the ship’s ramp. The other crew members had returned, Asahi and Tsukishima shouldering a barrel each. They didn’t seem to mind the newcomer, just went down to the stores to deposit their loads.</p><p>“Oh!” Daichi said, “I see you’ve met our new recruit, Kageyama.”</p><p>Noya bounded over to them. “So you’re the guy Kinoshita and Narita sent over,” he took Hinata’s hand in his and shook it enthusiastically. “Nishinoya Yuu. Noya to my friends.”</p><p>Hinata returned the handshake with just as much vigor. “Hinata Shoyo!”</p><p>“Nice to meet you, Shoyo!”</p><p>“Nice to meet you too, Noya-san!” </p><p>“Great. Now there’s two of them.” Tsukishima had emerged from the lower deck, watching the exchange with mild disgust. “I might as well just throw myself overboard.”</p><p>“Tsukishima Kei!” Daichi hissed at him and the blond boy sneered but was silent. Daichi turned back to Hinata and smiled warmly at him. “Welcome aboard The Karasuno. I’m Captain Sawamura Daichi. We’re pleased to have you here.”</p><p>“You have a beautiful ship, captain!” Kageyama was pretty sure that Hinata’s eyes were almost sparkling with excitement. “It’s so big and pretty and gwah!”</p><p>Daichi chuckled, “Yeah and it’ll be part of your job to keep her in this condition.”</p><p>“It’s a real pain!” Tanaka called from somewhere behind them.</p><p>“Ryu!” Noya immediately became distracted, leaping to his best friend’s side. “I saw the prettiest girl near the tavern today!”</p><p>“No way!”</p><p>“Yeah!! She had this gorgeous dark hair and eyes like chocolate. You remember chocolate right? And she was totally checking out Asahi-san but he was too chicken to go talk with her and I-”</p><p>Daichi cleared his throat, pointedly. “So! I heard you’re quite the swordsman.” Hinata nodded, eyes and ears snapping back to his captain’s face, “Great! I’m sure you’ll get along well with Kageyama here. He’s one of our best.”</p><p>Hinata’s eyebrows raised in Kageyama’s direction then he smiled and held out the hand that Noya had abandoned. “Looking forward to working with you, Kageyama.”</p><p>He took the hand politely. If his captain weren’t watching them interact, he would have avoided the gesture. He would have avoided how, when their hands touched, his palms suddenly became clammy. He would have avoided feeling every bump and callous on the other’s palm, the ones that only come with intense training (he was sporting a couple as well). </p><p>And most importantly, he would have avoided a strange warm feeling that bloomed in his chest at the contact. Then the handshake broke and he was sort of frozen in place, staring blankly at Hinata. <em>What the hell was that?</em> He distantly heard Daichi telling Asahi about raising the anchor and Tanaka the mainsail. </p><p>“Are we leaving already?” Hinata said, surprised. It was hard to tell if he was more excited or more nervous. Kageyama had proven that he didn’t know how to deal with nervous people so he settled on excitement and found that he was annoyed by it.</p><p>“Obviously we’re leaving,” he scoffed, “Don’t you know anything about boats?”</p><p>“Of course, I do,” Hinata replied indignantly. “And this is a ship, not a boat, which you would know if you weren’t such an idiot.”</p><p>Kageyama rounded on him. “You’re stupid.”</p><p>“<em>You’re</em> stupid!” Hinata retorted, taking a step closer. </p><p>“I bet you can’t even hold a sword correctly.”</p><p>“Oh yeah? You wanna test that out?”</p><p>There was a small squeak next to them and they both turned their scowls on Yachi, who shrunk back instinctively. “Uh… Daichi-san told me I should show you around, Hinata-kun. Just the sleeping quarters and stores and stuff.” Hinata sent one last glare in Kageyama’s direction before following Yachi down to the lower deck. </p><p>Kageyama let out an angry huff before striding over to help Tanaka with the mainsail. The wind was picking up steadily, causing the ropes to swing about dangerously. Gripping the ropes, he yanked them down and the sail expanded in the wind. He tied them quickly to their post and, ignoring Tanaka’s high five, he headed towards the helm where Daichi stood examining a map and discussing their course with Tsukishima. He still wanted to apologize for his tardiness.</p><p>Daichi was shaking his head, eyes deep in thought, “We’d still be skating too close into Nekoma’s territory. I don’t want to have to deal with Kuroo and his crew again.” </p><p>“Believe me,” Tsukishima scoffed, ‘I want nothing to do with those stray cats. But the other option is to go past Andromeda’s Cove and through the Western Sea. I’ve heard Seijoh’s been traveling along that area for the past couple of days.”</p><p>Daichi tsked, “Well I’d rather deal with Iwaizumi than Kuroo. At least he didn’t steal 2 barrels of gunpowder from me last winter.”</p><p>Tsukishima blinked in surprise, “But Captain, you’ve heard what lurks in those waters.”</p><p><em>Sirens. </em>Kageyama thought. He’d heard the warning many times before: </p><p>
  <em>Beware the Western Sea,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>And the songs sung in its breeze.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>For if you lend a helpful ear,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Your death will soon be near.</em>
</p><p>	For some reason, the saying always made Kageyama shiver. </p><p>	“Sirens don’t exist, Tsukishima.” Daichi said dismissively, rolling up the map and handing it back to Tsukishima. “They’re fairy tales only seen by drunkards and sailors who have been out at sea for too long.”</p><p>“What if they are real?” Kageyama blurted out. The other two turned to him. “The sirens. What if they’re real? There have been hundreds of accounts of sailors going missing around that area over the past ten years. Even the naval guard takes extra precautions when passing by Andromeda’s Cove.”</p><p> 	“We can’t afford to worry about imaginary sea creatures, Kageyama. We need to get to Izumitate within the week. Yui says she has some information for us about the gold,” and when Kageyama’s frown deepened, Daichi added, “if Iwaizumi can handle those waters for that long then it shouldn’t be a problem for us to pass through them too. And if sirens <em>do</em> exist, it wouldn’t hurt to check to see if Seijoh is still up and running.” </p><p>Kageyama nodded, knowing he couldn’t argue with that logic but still...  He had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach as he felt the ship begin to move forward in the water. Daichi was really going to take them through Andromeda’s Cove. And there was a look in Tsukishima’s eyes that told him he wasn’t the only one concerned. </p><p>...</p><p> “Don’t ever sail near Andromeda’s Cove, Tobio,” his grandfather had said, one night after sparring with him. They were sitting in Tobio’s room with an old atlas laid out in front of them. Kazuyo had been testing him on identifying the different countries and the surrounding area.</p><p>Tobio had nodded, finger still pressed on the word 'cove', “Okaasan said the sirens there will eat me.”</p><p>	Kazuyo smiled and lightly ruffled his hair, “You’re very smart, Tobio. Sirens are vicious creatures who could take out a whole ship with just the sound of their voices. Doesn’t that sound scary?”</p><p>	He thought about it, “A little.” Then he brightened, “But I can always fight them off!”</p><p>Kazuyo had raised his eyebrows at this. “Oh? Show me what you should do if you meet up with a siren.” Tobio immediately shoved his fingers in his ears and shut his eyes. Kazuyo chuckled and pulled his fingers out before saying, “Very good! But how are you going to grab your sword like that?”</p><p>Tobio had paused, thinking, then decided, “I’ll use my feet!”</p><p>He didn’t understand why his grandfather had roared with laughter.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>This is my favorite chapter out of the ones I've written so far. I just love The Karasuno sm.</p><p>A couple of things I just wanted to include down here:<br/>-Kageyama, Tsukishima, and Yachi all come from Kitigawa, the same town where Daichi met Suga<br/>-And all three of them grew up hearing tales about sirens<br/>-Kageyama joined The Karasuno three days before Tsukishima and Yachi and trained the other two in sword-fighting<br/>-Tsukishima is the navigator of the ship and often steers the helm when Daichi needs a break<br/>-Hinata does not know that The Karasuno is a pirate ship (we'll see how long it takes him to figure it out)</p><p>If you have any questions or just want to talk about the chapter, leave a comment!! I'm always excited to read them :))</p><p>Next chapter: Akaashi meets Bokuto again and the long-awaited reunion</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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